Name: My Sister, the Serial Killer
Rating: 3.613179669030733 (846 reviews)
ISBN: 9781432873042

Oyinkan Braithwaite

Slasher meets satire in this darkly comic novel set in Nigeria about a woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

My Sister, the Serial Killer

"Slasher meets satire in this darkly comic novel set in Nigeria about a woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends"--

A Novel

Tim Pendry

After a slow start which seems to imply little more than a novel, with a dark criminal twist, about the lives of the narcissistic upper middle classes of Lagos in the internet age, Braithwaite's story shifts into a subtle exploration of an ancient theme - loyalty to kin against loyalty to moral order. This was a central theme of Hellenic drama's interest in the transition from traditional kin obligations to civic morality. It is still a live issue as traditional societies modernise. Braithwaite's narrator-protagonist Korede is trapped by history and kinship into becoming complicit in serial murder. Her physically attractive little sister Ayoola is the very type of the psychopath. She kills men for reasons that become more comprehensible as the story unfolds but which are not an excuse. Her victims are perhaps weak but not the 'bad father' whose sadistic cruelty lies at the heart of all this. Korede, less attractive in looks and style, has a strong moral sense of her own but it is distorted by an intense commitment to Ayoola that derives from their shared experience of a man who must be counted a monster. Neither mother nor aunt were of any help when they needed them. The complicity of older generation of women in traditional male entitlement and brutality is not hidden here. One of the subtleties of the book is an equalisation of the genders when it comes to self-delusion and narcissism. If anything, the women often have more inherent malice than the weak men. If the men tend to be weak in the face of women, the women are still vulnerable before the men. Gender relations seem to be relations between different sub-species. Both certainly desire the other but both manipulate the other where they can. Neither seems able to talk to the other directly. As the story unfolds we see Korede driven by her need to protect Ayoola. It makes her complicit in the latter's crimes through her covering them up. She cannot entirely see Ayoola for what she is because of shared experience. She knows the killing is wrong but feels there is no alternative. Braithwaite writes well, quietly exposing class differences and corruption while still allowing for the staff at the hospital she works to be people committed to their service as she is. Her 'moral' backbone as nurse gives us the standard against which she places family first. Civic culture would have us 'shop' a relative to the authorities as moral duty. Traditional society would close around a relative to protect them. The horror of De Maupassant's 'Mateo Falcone' lies in Mateo shooting his own 10 year old son for contravening a social law. This is not an attractive picture of the Lagos upper middle classes. It is possible though that, with the right cultural tweaks, it would not be hard to redraft the tale in Dubai, Mumbai or any one of a number of major cities where a nouveau riche is emerging with access to the internet. Ultimately this book is a very sad one. Ayoola is almost certainly a congenital psychopath but not necessarily a killer without the trauma of her childhood. Korede is trapped in a nightmare and lonely. Nigerian society is presented as materialist and superficial.

Nadine MacDonald

Alex Addams 

Recommended by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/72302195-laurel" rel="nofollow noopener">Laurel</a>, this was an enjoyable read with well developed characters. The ending kinda left me hanging but I don't mind filling in the blanks.

I found it quite difficult to get into this book at first: the very short chapters made it even more fast-paced than it already was, but once I got used to it i found it interesting. I actually didn’t understand at first that it was taking place in Nigeria, and i had some difficulties understanding some of the words that where being used (i then searched them up online), but that’s my bad.

One thing i did appreciate is how the relationship between the two sisters is described, although i feel like it could have been analyzed more (from a psychological point of view).

Last but not least, I was expecting a thriller book, so i’m a bit disappointed in that regard. Maybe it’s just a metaphor about her sister’s abilities, but maybe i’m reading too much into that.

mirta <3

I found it quite difficult to get into this book at first: the very short chapters made it even more fast-paced than it already was, but once I got used to it i found it interesting. I actually didn’t understand at first that it was taking place in Nigeria, and i had some difficulties understanding some of the words that where being used (i then searched them up online), but that’s my bad.

One thing i did appreciate is how the relationship between the two sisters is described, although i feel like it could have been analyzed more (from a psychological point of view).

Last but not least, I was expecting a thriller book, so i’m a bit disappointed in that regard. Maybe it’s just a metaphor about her sister’s abilities, but maybe i’m reading too much into that.

A quick read and was an okay book. Wasn't as much of a thriller as I expected and honestly expected there to be a point where the sister was faced with a much larger conundrum but she didn't get pushed that far.

Mehul Sharma

I enjoyed this book, particularly the narrative.

I have to admit though that I was expecting something more 'active' in a way.

However, after I realized it wasn't going to go that way, I was able to wrap myself in this story of a pair of sisters who are througoutly messed up by their upbringing and the society they are living, and still they are able to care and love each other so much as much as they loath each other as siblings do.

Although, the ending was, for me, expected, it makes you ponder as a reader how much Ayoola can do and hold on to Korede until the latter snaps?

I enjoyed this book, particularly the narrative.

I have to admit though that I was expecting something more 'active' in a way.

However, after I realized it wasn't going to go that way, I was able to wrap myself in this story of a pair of sisters who are througoutly messed up by their upbringing and the society they are living, and still they are able to care and love each other so much as much as they loath each other as siblings do.

Although, the ending was, for me, expected, it makes you ponder as a reader how much Ayoola can do and hold on to Korede until the latter snaps?

Gelaine Trinidad

Angelyn Francis

Well-written, good characters and a style that's easy to get through. Towards the end it felt like something was missing though, but still a good story and concept

Ryan Mateyk

3.5 stars. Surprisingly breezy and readable, and had moments of clever humour I wasn't expecting, but not quite as substantial as I would have liked.

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019 Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019 Winner of the 2019 LA Times Award for Best Crime Thriller Capital Crime Debut Author of the Year 2019 __________ 'A literary sensation' Guardian 'A bombshell of a book... Sharp, explosive, hilarious' New York Times 'Glittering and funny... A stiletto slipped between the ribs and through the left ventricle of the heart' Financial Times __________ 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...

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019

did her sister at times suck ?  yes.  is it sweet that she always stood by her when it mattered ?  absolutely

envie,

Very suspenseful. Never really knew what to expect next. But I hated the ending ngl

Temi Awani

A fast paced literary book that started off strong. I enjoy literary fiction in the way I enjoy poetry. I also enjoyed being in Korede’s head (for the most part). 

I wildly detested Korede’s self deprecation throughout the book though. 

There’s something utterly sinister and grotesque in the words and structures Oyinkan Braithwaite (the author) chose when describing certain Afrocentric features (big lips, wide noses, afros, dark skin, etc). Like using an Afro to symbolise a descent into madness, and MUCH more. These descriptions are even more sinister when compared to how she describes light skinned female characters in the book. 

It honestly comes off as blatant colourism and self hatred.

Oyinkan does an appalling job showing us how/why Korede was ‘ugly’ and how/why Ayoola was ‘beautiful’, as she simply just wrote Korede to be a dark skin woman and Ayoola to be a light skin woman with a ‘button nose’ as a baby…don’t all babies have button noses?! Hm.

I would’ve given this book a 5/5 or at the very least a 4.5/5, but 2/5 is what it deserves at best!

SuanuAndTheirBrain

A fast paced literary book that started off strong. I enjoy literary fiction in the way I enjoy poetry. I also enjoyed being in Korede’s head (for the most part). 

I wildly detested Korede’s self deprecation throughout the book though. 

There’s something utterly sinister and grotesque in the words and structures Oyinkan Braithwaite (the author) chose when describing certain Afrocentric features (big lips, wide noses, afros, dark skin, etc). Like using an Afro to symbolise a descent into madness, and MUCH more. These descriptions are even more sinister when compared to how she describes light skinned female characters in the book. 

It honestly comes off as blatant colourism and self hatred.

Oyinkan does an appalling job showing us how/why Korede was ‘ugly’ and how/why Ayoola was ‘beautiful’, as she simply just wrote Korede to be a dark skin woman and Ayoola to be a light skin woman with a ‘button nose’ as a baby…don’t all babies have button noses?! Hm.

Such a bland ending!

I would’ve given this book a 5/5 or at the very least a 4.5/5, but 2/5 is what it deserves at best!

hileahrious

[EDIT] After discussing this with my book club, I must say I appreciate it much more. The complexity of the book is actually insane... how she’s managed to fit so many issues and leave us with so many important questions in such a short book is actually quite impressive.

An interesting story... suspenseful enough, no time to get bored, as it's quite a quick read... but the characters, the plot, the point... they all lack quite a bit of depth for me. Despite that, it's not bad, and I do like the way it's written in short chapters, with flashbacks and thoughts all mixed in together.

lexie

it was very fast paced but what the fuck is the ending?

Anjorin Molayo 

Valeria M

Macy Johnson

this was so short and sweet (well, no, not that at all). So worth it! 

It's exactly as cool and interesting as the blurb makes it sound!! Ahhhhh I loved the premise and it was done so well. I liked the setting and the ending was a bit chilling and horrifying, although it was kind of exactly what you should expect. I'm so glad my advisor lent this one to me 😱

My Sister, the Serial Killer

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