My Sister, the Serial Killer
By Oyinkan Braithwaite
Blurb
"Femi makes three you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."
When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the fit doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...
Our Review
I hesitated before requesting a review copy of My Sister, the Serial Killer because with a title like that it could go one of two ways. Fortunately for me it was brilliant.
Let me explain, I read more than my fair share of crime and thriller books, but I wouldn’t say it is my favourite genre. Fortunately, the author’s writing style lent itself to excellent read.
When Korede receives a late-night phone call from her younger sister Ayoola, she knows she is needed to clean up her mess yet again. This will be the third boyfriend she has killed in ‘self-defence’ and Korede is well aware that three makes her sister a serial killer.
Korede has always looked after Ayoola and even now she still instinctively wants to protect her. That is until her sister sets her sights on the handsome doctor Korede has a crush on.
My Sister, the Serial Killer had a lot of hype surrounding it and generally I find that can be a negative thing as the expectation of how good it is means I am disappointed but this lived up to the hype. It was so gripping that I started and finished it in the same day.
I knew I would like it from the first paragraph:
“Ayoola summons me with these words – Korede, I killed him.
I had hoped I would never hear those words again.”
One of my favourite things about this book was the accurate portrayal of the relationship between the two sisters. The sibling rivalry felt real but also the bond they had.
One thing I often struggle with in novels is the ability to engage if I dislike the character but this time I disliked both sisters and loved the book. Ayoola was vain and selfish as well as being a serial killer but Korede was also massively flawed in her own way not least in her ability to have doubts about her sister but not acting on them.
“On their one-month anniversary, she stabbed him in the bathroom of his apartment. She didn’t mean to, of course. He was angry, screaming at her, his onion-stained breath against her face.
(But why was she carrying the knife?)
The knife was for her protection. You never knew with men, they wanted what they wanted when they wanted it. She didn’t mean to kill him. She wanted to warn him off.”
My only criticism, if it could be called that, is that I didn’t want the book to end.
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 20 Times.
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