A Review: “My Sister, the Serial Killer” by Oyinkan Braithwaite

I picked up this book while visiting Chicago over the summer, and it was more interesting than I thought it would be! After reading Jane Igharo’s “The Sweetest Remedy”, this book was also written by a Nigerian author, but oh how different this book is compared to Igharo’s!

Here is the book’s description:

“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 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…“

It’s a happy accident that I read this book around Halloween! Korede is the goody-two-shoes older sister of the carefree Ayoola, the beautiful bombshell whose boyfriends end up dead. (I am not sure on the pronunciation of these names, but in my mind, I pronounced Korede as “core-read-day” and Ayoola as “eye-you-luh.”) Korede describes herself as plain and awkward, and Ayoola as voluptuous and charming. As a nurse in a hospital, Korede has a crush on Tade, a young doctor whom she considers a good friend. She’s been trying to gain his attention for years, but when he sets eyes on Ayoola, he is smitten. Knowing her sister’s murderous tendencies, Korede finds herself between a rock and a hard place, as her sister’s only confidant. She is jealous of Ayoola, who doesn’t seem to care that Tade is in love with her. Plus, an investigation is mounting over Ayoola’s former boyfriend Femi who has gone missing. Korede tries to coach Ayoola into acting devastated over his disappearance, but Ayoola is the type of woman who is never single for long.

My Verdict: “My Sister the Serial Killer” is Worth Reading

This book may not be the best book I’ve ever read this year, but I liked the author’s style of writing and am interested in reading more from her. I felt bad for Korede throughout the book. I know what it’s like to have a crush on someone for years and not have feelings returned. It’s so tough, but at some point, you just have to decide to move on. Korede can’t move on though as her sister continues to date Tade. She doesn’t want him to end up dead. Her stress increases throughout the book as she recalls recollections of when she helped Ayoola clean up murder scenes and dispose of bodies. Her memories take her back to when she and Ayoola were young girls and their father abused them and their mother. Korede believes Ayoola kills because of this childhood trauma.

For some reason, I thought this book was going to be funny and comical (maybe I read that it was funny in a review), but it definitely wasn’t. This is a psychological thriller with very short chapters that kept me engaged, and it is a short read at about 220 pages. My only critique is that the ending left some questions unanswered, and I felt it was a bit rushed. I think the author could have easily written a few more pages to wrap things up, but it wasn’t a bad ending either.

I’ll definitely read more books by Braithwaite in the future! If you’ve read this book, what did you think of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!