Book Review | My Sister The Serial Killer

 

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, is a morbid comedy set in Lagos, Nigeria which follows the story of sisters Ayoola and Korede in the wake of the violent murder of Femi, Ayoola’s boyfriend.

 

“I killed him”

“Korede, I killed him”, are the chilling and calm words spoken by younger sister Ayoola.

Femi has been fatally stabbed by Ayoola. The murder weapon is a knife inherited from the girls’ late father. Upon receiving Ayoola’s phone confession, Korede dutifully drives to Femi’s to help with the clean-up and concealment of the body. Aside from pulling us into the midst of a twisted plot featuring a string of murders, all psychopathic in nature, the first scene also sets the tone for the girls’ relationship.

Their uneasy sisterhood, although pleasant on the surface, is fraught with tension, resentment and jealousy, and sits alongside the murder investigation which spans the length of the book. This is until the end when we discover whether Ayoola’s crime uncovered.

Korede and Ayoola are bound by their criminal activity, but are very different – both in looks and
personality. Korede, the oldest is nurturing, reserved, and a nurse by profession. She’s tall, slim and dark in complexion. And whilst her sister is good at spilling blood, she’s great at cleaning it up. Ayoola on the other hand is a carefree fashion designer who loves the limelight. She sports dreadlocks, is of fairer
complexion and has a curvy figure men find alluring, which ultimately leads to their demise.

 

 

 

 

 

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ICYMI this week the longlist for the @womensprize for Fiction was announced. I have read two of the sixteen – An American Marriage and My Sister, The Serial Killer. They were both 5 🌟 reads for me. So I’ve decided I am going to attempt to read the remaining fourteen before the shortlist is announced. I kind of want to try to put together my guess for the shortlist. I put the full list below in case y’all are interested. Have you read or do you plan to read any books on the list?⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Women’s Prize Long List:⁣ – The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker⁣ – Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton – My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite⁣ – The Pisces by Melissa Broder⁣ – Milkman by Anna Burns⁣ – Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi⁣ – Ordinary People by Diana Evans⁣ – Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott⁣ – An American Marriage by Tayari Jones⁣ – Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li⁣ – Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn⁣ – Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli⁣ – Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice L. McFadden⁣ – Circe by Madeline Miller⁣ – Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss⁣ – Normal People by Sally Rooney⁣⠀

A post shared by Laci Long | San Francisco (@bookpairings) on Mar 8, 2019 at 7:31am PST

Body, Scrubs, Stain

The book moves back and forth between past and present. And it’s the flashbacks which give us a window into the girls’ childhood. We learn about their abusive father, docile mother and the fact that this is not the first time Ayoola has killed.

The story is narrated by Korede, in the first person. It works because as the more observant character, it allows for some description of more peripheral characters – some of which bring a comedic aspect to the text. However, one setback of the narration is the limited insight we get into Ayoola’s psyche. We are hindered in knowing her motivations, and how she truly feels about the murders she has committed.

It’s also worth noting that the chapters are short, and the chapter headings are concise – many of them one-worded, such as Words, Body, Scrubs, Stain, etc. This helps to speed up the pace of the story and give it the excitement it needs.

 

Crime Mystery or Family Saga?

Although the story is about a crime, I am hesitant to call it a crime thriller. I felt more emphasis was placed on the girls’ relationship. This is highlighted through their competition for the affection of Dr Tade – a colleague of Korede, who quickly falls in love (or infatuation) with the sweet but dangerous Ayoola, and shuns Korede in the process.

 

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Final Thoughts

As usual, what I love about African storytelling is being immersed into African life. This was no different – I enjoyed my visit to Lagos whilst reading My Sister the Serial Killer. But whilst, I enjoyed the book, I didn’t like the way everything fitted easily into African stereotypes: men are trash, lighter-skinned women are more desirable, medical staff in hospitals are lazy, the police are corrupt, and so on. One could argue that the story was just reflecting reality, but it would have been nice to see some of those stereotypes challenged.

 

7th book read this summer holidays was another kindle one ‘My Sister the Serial Killer’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite. It was unputdownable. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it thoroughly. #bookworm #BeachReads #poolsideread #summerculturephs pic.twitter.com/OMlGkL7NWb

— MissPagetEnglish (@MissPaget) August 1, 2019

Despite this, I must commend Oyinkan Braithwaite on her first novel. It was in all an enjoyable read – and a different storyline from the norm. I listened to the audiobook, and enjoyed the accented narration. I hope you will be giving My Sister the Serial Killer a chance.

Let me know if you have or will be reading it.

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