Book Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer

Author: Oyinkan Braithwaité

Genre: dark comedy, contemporary

Rating: 4/5

Verdict

*slight spoilers ahead*

My Sister, the Serial Killer is an impactful read, stripped down to the essentials.

Meet sisters Korede and Ayoola. Korede is a nurse and the big sister of Ayoola, who just can’t seem to help killing her boyfriends. Korede is always there to tidy up and hide the evidence. However, trouble starts when Ayoola starts dating Korede’s colleague Tade, a doctor she has long had feelings for. Being well aware of Ayoola’s track history, Korede has to make a choice about who she protects; Ayoola, or Tade?

I love the opening line of this story. You’re chucked right in with Ayoola calling Korede. She’s done it again, boyfriend number 3 is dead and she needs help with damage control. Ayoola lives up to the title right from the start: My Sister, the Serial Killer. The narrative and structure of this book is so blunt and emotionally contained. Between Ayoola and Korede actions speak louder than words – in fact, words seem to often need repeating.

Many consider this book to be a thriller (by many I mean fellow Goodreads users), and if you go by the title alone that is a sensible decision. But I disagree, this book is not a thriller. Rather I’d consider it as a dark comedy; the book starts with a little guide outlining Korede’s tips on how to get away with murder. The seriousness and light-hearted approach to this scene was, to me, brilliantly funny. At its base, the novel examines the relationship between 2 sisters and comments on the extremities of their co-dependency and their polarising personalities. Romantic love is included, but it is completely satirised and shown to be dependent on beauty. If you are a beautiful girl, then you will find love in this world. Women not deemed to be conventionally attractive, like Korede, are romantically cast aside. Physical appearance carries a lot of power in this narrative.

Set in Lagos, the city is pulsing and bustling around the sisters with activity. Everything is nondescript, nevertheless as the reader you get a clear view of the city’s vibrant culture.

There’s a strong sense of duality in this world, with everyone showcasing two personalities: the public image and the private one. Their father, a caring politician to the outside world, is an abusive family figure behind closed doors. The sisters have adopted a similar split identity, their private selves just as violent and morbid as their father’s.

The two sisters are the most interesting characters, the other characters feel quite two-dimensional in comparison. They’re the polar opposites of each other, with Korede’s pragmatism countering Ayoola’s dream-like idealism. With Korede everything is methodical and thought through. This is very apparent in the structure of the novel, with multiple dedicated short chapters used. Each chapter has a singular focus that provides yet another angle to deepen the narrative. Though we never know Ayoola directly as a person, it’s only really through Korede, her interactions with Tade and his relaying of Ayoola’s comments that we see how deceitful and multifaceted she is. Her dreamy exterior is not to be trusted, there’s a calculated thought process going on behind the scenes.

Morals are left to be desired, but self-righteousness is certainly in abundance. No-one considers themselves guilty, merely right. A narrative that starts simple quickly weaves a complex story. One that spends the entire novel building up to this crescendo that suddenly concludes quite abruptly. The ending did let the novel down for me – it felt a little rushed and wasn’t quite satisfying enough.

A book that was for the most-part enjoyable, if a little frustrating at times (Tade you could tone down the condescension a little bit) it’s educational if you need to know how to *not* take responsibility for things. Because this is not how you do it. At all. It’s great.

Find the book on Goodreads!