Status
Missing
Call number
Collection
Publication
Atlantic Books (2019), Edition: Main, 256 pages
Description
"Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends. "Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer." Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit. A kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works is the bright spot in her life. She dreams of the day when he will realize they're perfect for each other. But one day Ayoola shows up to the hospital uninvited and he takes notice. When he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and what she will do about it. Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a deliciously deadly debut that's as fun as it is frightening"--… (more)
Media reviews
Without aiming for a grand narrative or stuffing the prose with political history as Nigerian novelists are often tempted, Braithwaite entertains. Braithwaite does provide a candid take on under-discussed social issues but in place of grand commentary about the government and public life, she looks
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inward and forces a reflection on the problems of the family, and how families can distort people’s lives. Show Less
It’s strikingly original. Braithwaite sets the Offspring-like inner workings of the hospital, and an almost Mills & Boon style – sisters squabbling over the central love interest, the too-good-to-be-true Dr Tade – against a ruthless examination of a culture where Korede’s father beats his
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daughters and wife as he tries to sell Ayoola off to a local chief, who points out the 14-year-old girls he wants to marry with his bejewelled cane. At its heart is the idea of beauty and how far it can take you, how quickly it morphs into ugliness. Show Less
In one respect, it’s classic noir: actions have consequences that are inevitable – but the ending is worlds away from that bleak style, and the pitch-black humour, coupled with the sweltering heat of Lagos, gives a very different feel.
With a deadly aim, Braithwaite lobs jokes, japes and screwball comedy at the reader. Only after you turn the last page do you realize that, as with many brilliant comic writers before her, laughter for Braithwaite is as good for covering up pain as bleach is for masking the smell of blood.
Braithwaite leaves the reader wondering which of these two sisters is more damaged: the killer, or the killer’s faithful rescuer.
By the final chapters, the book has so much going on that it becomes difficult to tell how the various storylines are intertwining. It all adds up to a distinctive but uneasy mix of morbid humour, love story, slashfest, family saga and grave meditation on how abusive behaviour is passed down
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through the generations. Show Less
There is little in the way of psychological depth in My Sister, The Serial Killer, but its deadpan tone and well-paced story make up for the shortcomings.
[Braithwaite] combines the comparatively lighter tropes of Jane Austen with a dark tale of murder, familial complication, and moral compromise, and thereby redefines both tropes for a new generation.
Braithwaite has updated these downright Dostoyevskian ideas for the social-media set, and the interrogation of how technology intersects with their lives only adds to the novel’s campy appeal [. . .] But beneath the Weekend at Bernie’s–style morbid hilarity lies a real examination of the
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often nettlesome bonds of family, and what we owe to the ones we love. Show Less
With My Sister, The Serial Killer, debut novelist Oyinkan Braithwaite has crafted a refreshingly original story, evocative of the best psychological thrillers.
The book is indeed about a serial killer and her sibling, but it is not at all the pulpy slasher story you might expect. Instead, it is a playful yet affecting examination of sibling rivalry, the legacy of abuse and the shallow sexism of Nigeria’s patriarchal society.
Though the book is physically set in Lagos, it’s more accurate location is within the power dynamics of a middle-class West African family. [. . .] These collisions and entanglements of gender, class, and power make My Sister, the Serial Killer a necessary feminist read.
Here is a novel that shrugs off the oft published themes of poverty, political turmoil or civil strife on the African continent. Rather, it concerns itself mainly with the comfy lives of two sisters, Korede and Ayoola, one of whom is undeniably gorgeous and has a pesky habit of killing her
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boyfriends. Show Less
My Sister, The Serial Killer is an abrupt punch of a novel that leaves a commensurate confused ache, sweet-sore around the edges, with its refusal to offer ethically pleasant or neat conclusions. No one is without their sympathetic moments; at the same time no one is without cruelties, be they
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petty or immense. Show Less
The reveal at the end isn’t so much a “gotcha” moment as the dawning of an inevitable, creeping feeling that Braithwaite expertly crafts over the course of the novel. This is both bitingly funny and brilliantly executed, with not a single word out of place.
Generations of gothic mystery aficionados have attended these uneasy and insidious events before. But besides the setting, what makes Braithwaite’s first novel stand out from others in this genre is the unobtrusively sly approach she takes to the conventions of “black widow” storytelling and
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the appealing deadpan voice of the jittery yet world-weary Korede. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: 4.25* of five
The Publisher Says: My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...
When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected
My Review: It takes a lot longer to dispose of a body than to dispose of a soul, especially if you don't want to leave any evidence of foul play.
And just like *that* I'm totally hooked. Second book this month set in Lagos; and second informed by a special Nigerian magical realism. (The other is [David Mogo, Godhunter]. Excellent as well.) This is a light entertainment, a shiny pretty costume jewelry story that sets your readerly mood in its most attractive and colorful light. It's fun. It's got the Double Indemnityesque delight of a love triangle detonated by jealousy, the In Cold Bloodness of a crime spree done for the sheer hell of it, and that utterly madcap Thelma and Louisely sanitized violence and death.
Yes, sanitized. Korede reports, doesn't narrate, the aftermath of Ayoola's kills. She keeps the details sparse enough to inform but not nauseate. Korede stands between us and Ayoola the serial killer. (Thank goodness. I don't think I could've read a whole novel from Ayoola's PoV!) So we're safe, we're not going to the places Korede has seen, we needn't do what Korede does.
Besides, it's what Korede doesn't do...what in the end she chooses to allow to occur...that defines her as a moral actor. I disagree with her choice, and I would've liked a chance to convince her to change her mind. With a two-by-four to the knees if necessary. But Korede, as written, really couldn't have made a different choice, so here we are. Overall, the story's pluses...new-to-me setting, cultural differences that kept me on my Google-fu, and an authorial style I found engaging...got me to a shade over four stars. It wasn't hard to get there.
The Publisher Says: My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...
When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected
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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...My Review: It takes a lot longer to dispose of a body than to dispose of a soul, especially if you don't want to leave any evidence of foul play.
And just like *that* I'm totally hooked. Second book this month set in Lagos; and second informed by a special Nigerian magical realism. (The other is [David Mogo, Godhunter]. Excellent as well.) This is a light entertainment, a shiny pretty costume jewelry story that sets your readerly mood in its most attractive and colorful light. It's fun. It's got the Double Indemnityesque delight of a love triangle detonated by jealousy, the In Cold Bloodness of a crime spree done for the sheer hell of it, and that utterly madcap Thelma and Louisely sanitized violence and death.
Yes, sanitized. Korede reports, doesn't narrate, the aftermath of Ayoola's kills. She keeps the details sparse enough to inform but not nauseate. Korede stands between us and Ayoola the serial killer. (Thank goodness. I don't think I could've read a whole novel from Ayoola's PoV!) So we're safe, we're not going to the places Korede has seen, we needn't do what Korede does.
Besides, it's what Korede doesn't do...what in the end she chooses to allow to occur...that defines her as a moral actor. I disagree with her choice, and I would've liked a chance to convince her to change her mind. With a two-by-four to the knees if necessary. But Korede, as written, really couldn't have made a different choice, so here we are. Overall, the story's pluses...new-to-me setting, cultural differences that kept me on my Google-fu, and an authorial style I found engaging...got me to a shade over four stars. It wasn't hard to get there.
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LibraryThing member WhiskeyintheJar
3.5 stars
Ayoola summons me with these words—Korede, I killed him. I had hoped I would never hear those words again.
At just over 200 pages, with very short chapters and a first person dialogue that engages you, My Sister, The Serial Killer was a slice (no pun intended) of life story that will
The story starts with Korede getting a call from her sister saying that she killed her latest boyfriend. Korede's reaction clues the reader into that fact that this isn't the first time, we learn that it is the third. As Korede takes charge in cleaning up the scene and disposing the body, Ayoola says that the man attacked her but as this is the third time, we start to see doubt creeping into Korede's thoughts.
Korede's a nurse and as we follow her around, we learn she is in love with a doctor she works with and that she uses a coma patient as a pseudo-therapist, telling him about her serial killer sister. What pulled me into the story was Korede thinking back and "telling" us readers about her childhood and how their father was abusive and had a knife that he revered, the knife Ayoola uses to kill with. The descriptions of their childhood clearly lay-out why the sisters act the way they do. Korede was the older sister and always worked and was expected to protect Ayoola. Ayoola was the child beloved for her gorgeous looks and constantly leered at by men. There's also the way their father cheats on their mother and treats women as disposable.
You will constantly be angry on Korede's behalf for the way Ayoola treats her, especially when she starts to date the doctor Korede wants a relationship with. For as selfish as Ayoola was, she says a line about showing Korede that the doctor is just like all other men and it puts the thought that in her warped way, she may be trying to protect Korede. I bumped my rating up because of a couple of these little lines that made the personalities of these sisters more complex and interesting to read about. At first glance and on the surface you could easily write them both off but those little lines made them more interesting.
The story was pretty even paced, towards the end there is some excitement with the coma patient and the doctor but for the most part you're just riding along with Korede as she and me as the reader argue if she is trapped in a cage of her own making or life made it this way for her and she's just doing the best she can.
Ayoola summons me with these words—Korede, I killed him. I had hoped I would never hear those words again.
At just over 200 pages, with very short chapters and a first person dialogue that engages you, My Sister, The Serial Killer was a slice (no pun intended) of life story that will
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linger in my thoughts for a while. The story starts with Korede getting a call from her sister saying that she killed her latest boyfriend. Korede's reaction clues the reader into that fact that this isn't the first time, we learn that it is the third. As Korede takes charge in cleaning up the scene and disposing the body, Ayoola says that the man attacked her but as this is the third time, we start to see doubt creeping into Korede's thoughts.
Korede's a nurse and as we follow her around, we learn she is in love with a doctor she works with and that she uses a coma patient as a pseudo-therapist, telling him about her serial killer sister. What pulled me into the story was Korede thinking back and "telling" us readers about her childhood and how their father was abusive and had a knife that he revered, the knife Ayoola uses to kill with. The descriptions of their childhood clearly lay-out why the sisters act the way they do. Korede was the older sister and always worked and was expected to protect Ayoola. Ayoola was the child beloved for her gorgeous looks and constantly leered at by men. There's also the way their father cheats on their mother and treats women as disposable.
You will constantly be angry on Korede's behalf for the way Ayoola treats her, especially when she starts to date the doctor Korede wants a relationship with. For as selfish as Ayoola was, she says a line about showing Korede that the doctor is just like all other men and it puts the thought that in her warped way, she may be trying to protect Korede. I bumped my rating up because of a couple of these little lines that made the personalities of these sisters more complex and interesting to read about. At first glance and on the surface you could easily write them both off but those little lines made them more interesting.
The story was pretty even paced, towards the end there is some excitement with the coma patient and the doctor but for the most part you're just riding along with Korede as she and me as the reader argue if she is trapped in a cage of her own making or life made it this way for her and she's just doing the best she can.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
My Sister, the Serial Killer is told from the point of view of a woman, a nurse, whose sister has the habit of killing her boyfriends. Each time, Ayoola calls Korede, and Korede goes to protect her sister from the consequences of her actions by disposing of the body and cleaning up the mess. But
Oyinkan Braithwaite's debut novel is a lot of fun. It's short, with short chapters that make it fly by even faster. There's no question of pacing in this novel, it all speeds by. But this isn't a flat genre novel, meant only as entertaining, there's a lot going on. From the setting of Lagos, Nigeria and the peek inside of that culture, to explorations of how a strictly patriarchal society shapes and harms both men and women, to asking how responsible are we for our families, all of that is so wrapped in a fun package, that it never feels heavy-handed.
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Ayoola is self-centered and demanding and when she meets the man who Korede cares for, will this be enough to break Korede's pattern of covering up her sister's crimes?Oyinkan Braithwaite's debut novel is a lot of fun. It's short, with short chapters that make it fly by even faster. There's no question of pacing in this novel, it all speeds by. But this isn't a flat genre novel, meant only as entertaining, there's a lot going on. From the setting of Lagos, Nigeria and the peek inside of that culture, to explorations of how a strictly patriarchal society shapes and harms both men and women, to asking how responsible are we for our families, all of that is so wrapped in a fun package, that it never feels heavy-handed.
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LibraryThing member Narshkite
Stunningly good social satire that reveals a good deal about life in Lagos and about the depth and repercussions of sibling bonds. The narrative touches on lousy parents, the cage of gender roles, the ravages of class distinctions and assumptions, the fruits of abuse, duty, the nature of love, the
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obsession with female beauty, the futility of trying to live a life of honor in a corrupt world, and the vital importance of good cleaning products. There is no murder mystery, the revelation is in the title and the killer's motivation is never really revealed. The murders are not the point of the book, they are just events, no more or less dramatic than Korede making a cake and having it attributed to her sister. There is a lot of pretty heartbreaking stuff here but I laughed a lot while simultaneously thinking about where duty to self, duty to loved ones, and duty to community collide and conflict, and what we do when that happens. Also worth mentioning, though quite short, this book was uniquely structured in a way that absolutely worked for this story. For a new writer, this is pretty darn masterful. Show Less
LibraryThing member booklove2
Oh I can tell you right now, this book is certainly accurate on an exaggerated level the relationship between older and younger sisters. I had to research if the writer has siblings and she has three, including two younger sisters (I thought it obvious -- and I'm sorry there are two of them.) I
However, I must admit, that any book with 'serial killer' in the title might not be the book for me. I just can't seem to be invested in a book about a casual murderer. I remain at a distance. It's like how I could watch a comedy about death but I can't laugh at a comedy about murder. Poor Korede just needed to separate herself from her sister, but like the paragraph above, she was trained to worry more about her sister than herself. I think the book worked because the main character is an older sister as the writer is an older sister. She knows enough about sisters (even if her sisters may be great people). The sister didn't need to be a serial killer. The sisters here were like an exaggerated Elinor and Marianne from Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. But then again, Marianne WAS very drama. The book is short, concise, to the point, and hints at many underlying issues under the surface. This certainly shows that Braithwaite has some skills. I will be paying attention and hopefully the next one won't be about killers.
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don't know WHY parents do this, but the younger sister usually receives preferential treatment and then if the older sister points this out, it is almost always blamed on jealously (well, treat them the same then): "I am responsible for Ayoola. That’s how it has always been. Ayoola would break a glass, and I would receive the blame for giving her the drink. Ayoola would fail a class, and I would be blamed for not coaching her. Ayoola would take an apple and leave the store without paying for it, and I would be blamed for letting her get hungry." (page 59) For sisterly relationships, this book gets an A+.However, I must admit, that any book with 'serial killer' in the title might not be the book for me. I just can't seem to be invested in a book about a casual murderer. I remain at a distance. It's like how I could watch a comedy about death but I can't laugh at a comedy about murder. Poor Korede just needed to separate herself from her sister, but like the paragraph above, she was trained to worry more about her sister than herself. I think the book worked because the main character is an older sister as the writer is an older sister. She knows enough about sisters (even if her sisters may be great people). The sister didn't need to be a serial killer. The sisters here were like an exaggerated Elinor and Marianne from Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. But then again, Marianne WAS very drama. The book is short, concise, to the point, and hints at many underlying issues under the surface. This certainly shows that Braithwaite has some skills. I will be paying attention and hopefully the next one won't be about killers.
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LibraryThing member Nickelini
Korede gets yet another phone call from her sister saying that OOPS! she knifed her boyfriend to death. Help me clean it up. Cleaner-extraordinaire and enabler older sister drops everything to assist her sister, Ayoola. It's an uncomfortable but tenable way of life until Ayoola drops by the
I loved the quick pace & the amusing writing (unlike other readers, I can't quite call this "funny"), I loved the Nigerian setting, and mostly I loved how this was a unique story, unlike anything else I've read
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hospital where Korede is a nurse, and catches the eye of perfect Dr. Tade Otumu, the same doctor that Korede has been crushing on. Like every other man, the doctor is immediately smitten with Ayoola. Now where do Korede's loyalties lie? This is not a "crime novel" or a thriller, but a kinda crazy look at family and abuse.I loved the quick pace & the amusing writing (unlike other readers, I can't quite call this "funny"), I loved the Nigerian setting, and mostly I loved how this was a unique story, unlike anything else I've read
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
My thoughts on My Sister, the Serial Killer are all over the place. On the one hand, I want to love it because I know it is getting a TON of press right now, popping up on best of lists already even though it was just published. On the other hand, I am not certain why it is being added to such
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lists. I read it. I enjoyed it. I get the satire, just as I get the enabling. I understand the idea of nature versus nurture. I don’t understand what others see in it though. It is entertaining, but it didn’t make me feel that giddiness I associate with a stellar novel. It won’t make me think beyond writing a review. As of right now, I feel it will be one of those books that I will remember reading but won’t be able to extract much more than that. Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
Korede’s sister, Ayoola, is a serial killer. She has killed at least three times. Maybe more. And each time Korede has rescued her, disposing of evidence (including corpses), cleaning or torching the murder sites, and ensuring that the beautiful Ayoola is able to go on as though nothing has
There is so much to like about this novel. It is fresh and incisive at the same time as being dark and slightly askew. Oyinkan Braithwaite handles the first person narrative voice with a lightness of touch and gentle (though dark) humour. She wisely never lets Korede go on too long, even to the point of having exceedingly short chapters. She presents us with a flicker of action or character and moves on. It’s a very effective technique.
I especially liked the way Braithwaite would allow aspects of the local milieu to come to the fore — language, customs, even clothing and food. You can be reading along and suddenly realize that Lagos, Nigeria, is very different from what you know, even though most of the novel could just as easily be taking place in London. It makes for unusual highlights and draws new insights for the reader. I really enjoyed it. Plus, it seemed wiser than its subject might initially suggest.
Certainly recommended.
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happened. Which she does. But for Korede the weight on her conscience of aiding and abetting a serial killer, even one as beautiful as her sister, may be too much. She needs to confide in someone, someone who will listen and not judge. Fortunately the patient in room 313 has been comatose for some months. He’s a very good listener. And Korede feels better just talking to him.There is so much to like about this novel. It is fresh and incisive at the same time as being dark and slightly askew. Oyinkan Braithwaite handles the first person narrative voice with a lightness of touch and gentle (though dark) humour. She wisely never lets Korede go on too long, even to the point of having exceedingly short chapters. She presents us with a flicker of action or character and moves on. It’s a very effective technique.
I especially liked the way Braithwaite would allow aspects of the local milieu to come to the fore — language, customs, even clothing and food. You can be reading along and suddenly realize that Lagos, Nigeria, is very different from what you know, even though most of the novel could just as easily be taking place in London. It makes for unusual highlights and draws new insights for the reader. I really enjoyed it. Plus, it seemed wiser than its subject might initially suggest.
Certainly recommended.
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LibraryThing member SandDune
Korede works as a nurse: she's efficient and conscientious and in line for promotion. She's also very good at cleaning, very useful as her sister Ayoola has dispatched no less than three of her boyfriends in 'self-defence'. And when that happens it's the dependable Korede who is on hand to pick up
'I bet you didn't know that bleach masks the smell of blood. Most people use bleach indiscriminately, assuming it is a catch all product, never taking the time to read the list of ingredients on the back, never taking the time to return to the recently wiped surface to take a closer look. Bleach will disinfect, but it's not great for cleaning residue, so I use it only after I have first scrubbed the bathroom of all traces of life, and death.'
But after dispatching her latest boyfriend Femi, Ayoola pays a visit to the hospital where Korede works. And there she catches the eye of Tade, the doctor with whom Korede has been secretly in love for months. For in contrast to the plain Korede, Ayoola is a great beauty, who men find difficult to resist. But as Ayoola half-heartedly goes out with Tade, where should Korede's loyalty lie, with her clearly murderous sister or her prospective victim ...
This was a fun read, and nothing like as gruesome as its title might suggest. It also had some serious points to make: on family loyalty; on the often troubled relationship between sisters; and the objectification of women.
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the pieces, and clean:'I bet you didn't know that bleach masks the smell of blood. Most people use bleach indiscriminately, assuming it is a catch all product, never taking the time to read the list of ingredients on the back, never taking the time to return to the recently wiped surface to take a closer look. Bleach will disinfect, but it's not great for cleaning residue, so I use it only after I have first scrubbed the bathroom of all traces of life, and death.'
But after dispatching her latest boyfriend Femi, Ayoola pays a visit to the hospital where Korede works. And there she catches the eye of Tade, the doctor with whom Korede has been secretly in love for months. For in contrast to the plain Korede, Ayoola is a great beauty, who men find difficult to resist. But as Ayoola half-heartedly goes out with Tade, where should Korede's loyalty lie, with her clearly murderous sister or her prospective victim ...
This was a fun read, and nothing like as gruesome as its title might suggest. It also had some serious points to make: on family loyalty; on the often troubled relationship between sisters; and the objectification of women.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
I'm usually stingy on 5-star ratings, because I reserve that rating for books that somehow have a transcendent quality for me and that I'll probably want to read many times, which means crime novels rarely if ever make the mark, but this debut by Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite was just such a
One sister, Korede, is the older, responsible one and the narrator of this short novel. She hasn't been blessed with good looks, but she's great at her job as a nurse and loves cooking and feels compelled to look after her young sister Ayoola, who is a true knockout but has gotten into the habit of killing her boyfriends supposedly in self-defence and then calling on Korede to clean up the mess. At the beginning of the story Ayoola calls on our narrator to get rid of the body of her third and latest victim, which according to Google puts her squarely in the Serial Killer category.
Things are far from being all fun and games for Korede, who is in love with a doctor at her hospital, a man she believes to be imbued with a pure soul but who, predictably enough falls in love with her sister at first sight when Ayoola shows up for an unexpected visit. Korede tries to warn him off, after all dating Ayoola usually ends up very badly for men, and she's really only interested in them as play things and as providers of money and expensive goods.
What makes this novel stand apart from the typical bestseller serial killer fare is the relationship between the sisters. You can help but wonder why Korede feels so compelled to protect Ayoola, who is obviously a sociopath and cares only about herself. She's more interested in sharing her life on Instagram than making sure to keep an appropriate silence after the boyfriend she's murdered has supposedly gone "missing", and Korede is forever checking on her to make sure she's not posting irresponsibly. As the story develops in very short chapters we learn about their past and things come to light which both reveal the complex psychology at work which led both sisters to become the women they are, and details about Nigerian society which a typical Western reader such as myself aren't familiar with, which makes this read a sort of travel book as well.
A really good story among a selection of End of Year reads for me. Rarely does a book live up to hyped up expectations, but this one delivered very nicely! Can't wait to see what Braithwaite comes up with next!
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damn good read! My only complaint is I wish it hadn't ended so soon! One sister, Korede, is the older, responsible one and the narrator of this short novel. She hasn't been blessed with good looks, but she's great at her job as a nurse and loves cooking and feels compelled to look after her young sister Ayoola, who is a true knockout but has gotten into the habit of killing her boyfriends supposedly in self-defence and then calling on Korede to clean up the mess. At the beginning of the story Ayoola calls on our narrator to get rid of the body of her third and latest victim, which according to Google puts her squarely in the Serial Killer category.
Things are far from being all fun and games for Korede, who is in love with a doctor at her hospital, a man she believes to be imbued with a pure soul but who, predictably enough falls in love with her sister at first sight when Ayoola shows up for an unexpected visit. Korede tries to warn him off, after all dating Ayoola usually ends up very badly for men, and she's really only interested in them as play things and as providers of money and expensive goods.
What makes this novel stand apart from the typical bestseller serial killer fare is the relationship between the sisters. You can help but wonder why Korede feels so compelled to protect Ayoola, who is obviously a sociopath and cares only about herself. She's more interested in sharing her life on Instagram than making sure to keep an appropriate silence after the boyfriend she's murdered has supposedly gone "missing", and Korede is forever checking on her to make sure she's not posting irresponsibly. As the story develops in very short chapters we learn about their past and things come to light which both reveal the complex psychology at work which led both sisters to become the women they are, and details about Nigerian society which a typical Western reader such as myself aren't familiar with, which makes this read a sort of travel book as well.
A really good story among a selection of End of Year reads for me. Rarely does a book live up to hyped up expectations, but this one delivered very nicely! Can't wait to see what Braithwaite comes up with next!
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
From the book jacket: Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now, Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead.
My reactions
What an interesting concept! I was immediately drawn into the sisters’
I was fearful for Korede. She is the quiet, smart, professionally employed, responsible one. Not very pretty, but always kind and sensitive. The patients at the hospital where she is a nurse love her, and the doctors and administration appreciate her. And yet, she is lonely and longs for a love of her own. How can she possibly not be jealous of her beautiful sister, who has men fawning over her right left and sideways? I just knew she would come to harm as the plot moved relentlessly towards its inevitable conclusion.
Flashbacks to their violent father’s actions helped me understand the sisters’ bond. But I cannot help but wonderif Korede had more to do with his death than originally implied .
The tension is nonstop. Will she? Won’t she? When will she? How will she? In the end I’m left wondering WHO is the psychopath here?
My reactions
What an interesting concept! I was immediately drawn into the sisters’
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co-dependent relationship. I understood and sympathized with Korede’s dilemma: she loves her sister, has vowed to protect her, but now is racked with guilt and wondering how she can safeguard not only her sister, but the man SHE loves (quietly and from afar). Ayoola is frustratingly irresponsible, cavalier, and, yes, charming. Her lies fall effortlessly from her lips until even Korede seems to believe them. And yet …I was fearful for Korede. She is the quiet, smart, professionally employed, responsible one. Not very pretty, but always kind and sensitive. The patients at the hospital where she is a nurse love her, and the doctors and administration appreciate her. And yet, she is lonely and longs for a love of her own. How can she possibly not be jealous of her beautiful sister, who has men fawning over her right left and sideways? I just knew she would come to harm as the plot moved relentlessly towards its inevitable conclusion.
Flashbacks to their violent father’s actions helped me understand the sisters’ bond. But I cannot help but wonder
The tension is nonstop. Will she? Won’t she? When will she? How will she? In the end I’m left wondering WHO is the psychopath here?
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LibraryThing member streamsong
Three boyfriends gone sour – followed by their three deaths that big sister Korede has helped her beautiful black-widow younger sister, Ayolla, cover up. But the family of the last victim insist on searching for the missing man ... and neighbors saw the two girls acting suspiciously around
And …. Ayoola has now set her sights on Korede's love-from-afar, Dr Tade Otumu. Dr Otomu falls hard for Ayoola, just as every man does.
Protecting her crush would betray her sister. Protecting her sister means abandoning a good man to certain death.
Where do Korede's loyalties lie?
I found this an entertaining, quick read. The sisters' relationship and bond ring true in an exaggerated, co-dependent way. The tension builds.
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Korede's car which the police impound for evidence.And …. Ayoola has now set her sights on Korede's love-from-afar, Dr Tade Otumu. Dr Otomu falls hard for Ayoola, just as every man does.
Protecting her crush would betray her sister. Protecting her sister means abandoning a good man to certain death.
Where do Korede's loyalties lie?
I found this an entertaining, quick read. The sisters' relationship and bond ring true in an exaggerated, co-dependent way. The tension builds.
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LibraryThing member Dreesie
The title tells you everything you need to know.
Original I suppose, but not my thing. Seemingly regular people killing and disposing of bodies. A family of sociopaths. No thank you.
A super fast read, I only picked this up because it was longlisted for the Booker. I knew it was unlikely to be my
Original I suppose, but not my thing. Seemingly regular people killing and disposing of bodies. A family of sociopaths. No thank you.
A super fast read, I only picked this up because it was longlisted for the Booker. I knew it was unlikely to be my
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thing. Show Less
LibraryThing member cougargirl1967
Horrifying yet oddly understandable.
LibraryThing member norabelle414
Korede has always taken care of her younger sister. When they were kids she protected the beautiful Ayoola from their abusive father and from lecherous men. Now that they are adults, Korede has to protect her from herself. Ayoola's myriad boyfriends always seem to end up dead, and she calls Korede
This book really spoke to me. While obviously no one I know is doing anything as bad as Ayoola, I feel a weird pull of responsibility the same way that Korede does. Reveals about the abuse the girls have suffered is doled out sparingly, so that it colors their actions in the present day instead of seeming like a linear narrative. I especially appreciated the way that small cultural differences in Lagos made this a distinctly different story than if it had taken place in the US. For example, law enforcement is less dependable than in the US (not that ours is any way perfect), which helps explain why Korede makes different choices than I would.
I really, really enjoyed reading this short novel. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by this author.
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to come clean up her mess. Ayoola always claims self-defense, but when she sets her sights on Korede's handsome work crush, Korede starts to wonder if she can, or should, protect Ayoola anymore. This book really spoke to me. While obviously no one I know is doing anything as bad as Ayoola, I feel a weird pull of responsibility the same way that Korede does. Reveals about the abuse the girls have suffered is doled out sparingly, so that it colors their actions in the present day instead of seeming like a linear narrative. I especially appreciated the way that small cultural differences in Lagos made this a distinctly different story than if it had taken place in the US. For example, law enforcement is less dependable than in the US (not that ours is any way perfect), which helps explain why Korede makes different choices than I would.
I really, really enjoyed reading this short novel. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by this author.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Korede has always been told that as the elder sister it is her duty to look after, help, and protect her beautiful younger sister Ayoola. So what’s a girl to do when she realizes that her sister has a penchant for murder. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite examines this exact
Korede is a nurse at the local hospital in Lagosm, Nigeria and she is quietly in love with one of the doctors, Tade, who considers her a friend. Her only confidant is the patient in room 313, lying in a coma, forgotten by his friends and family. Her younger sister has learned to use her great beauty to sail through life, twisting everyone around her little finger. So when sociopathic Ayoola turns her eyes on Tade and he falls like a ton of bricks, Korede becomes increasingly concerned that he will be next on the list.
The jealousy, protectiveness, love and anger expressed between these two women make the sister’s relationship feel real. Who else is Ayoola going to call in the middle of the night to clean up another one of her messes? The narrative flows easily and despite the abrupt ending and a few other minor flaws, My Sister the Serial Killer is a delightfully witty and wry read.
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issue in a unique and darkly humorous way as Korede becomes increasingly bitter about her baby sister’s inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends. Korede is a nurse at the local hospital in Lagosm, Nigeria and she is quietly in love with one of the doctors, Tade, who considers her a friend. Her only confidant is the patient in room 313, lying in a coma, forgotten by his friends and family. Her younger sister has learned to use her great beauty to sail through life, twisting everyone around her little finger. So when sociopathic Ayoola turns her eyes on Tade and he falls like a ton of bricks, Korede becomes increasingly concerned that he will be next on the list.
The jealousy, protectiveness, love and anger expressed between these two women make the sister’s relationship feel real. Who else is Ayoola going to call in the middle of the night to clean up another one of her messes? The narrative flows easily and despite the abrupt ending and a few other minor flaws, My Sister the Serial Killer is a delightfully witty and wry read.
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LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
Quite the page-turner! I did close the book wishing it had ended differently, but I guess it couldn't, could it? Not and remain faithful to the relationship (and power dynamics) between Korede and Ayoola.
Look below its surface "serial killer" story and you'll find the bond between sisters, living
For sure I'll be reading whatever Braithwaite writes next.
Look below its surface "serial killer" story and you'll find the bond between sisters, living
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and loving within the patriarchy, and surviving abuse.For sure I'll be reading whatever Braithwaite writes next.
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LibraryThing member dcoward
Set in Nigeria, My Sister the Serial Killer was a tightly written and paced book. It feels short and is a quick read, with short chapters, but the amount of black humor and social commentary that the author manages to pack into the story is awesome. I really enjoyed this book and would highly
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recommend it to others, both for the relationship between the sisters and the look at Nigeria, which is nearly a character of it's own in the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Susan.Macura
How for would you go to protect a sibling? Would you cover a murder for him or her? How about more than one killing? These are the questions that Korede must answer as she deals with the "untimely deaths" of a few of her sister Ayoola's boyfriends. Things reach a crisis point when Ayoola starts
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dating the man of Korede's dreams. This is a short, but very fun, tale that reminds us all - blood is thicker than water. Show Less
LibraryThing member hemlokgang
Sooo.....which is worse? A pathological serial killer or protecting a serial killer? Where does bitterness shift into rage? Do we ever stop seeking parental approval? Just a few things to ponder when reading this novella. These universal issues are explored in a Nigerian family. I stayed up way too
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late because I was unable to stop listening until the story resolved. Show Less
LibraryThing member Perednia
Excellent story about sisters and loyalty, with some biting social commentary.
LibraryThing member kayanelson
TOB 2019. I don't understand all the hype about this book. A very different premise but even though that's a good aspect how they handle the topic is unbelievable. But there are some good thoughts in it.
LibraryThing member mcelhra
Ayoola has always been the beautiful sister, her mother’s favorite. She seems perfect from the outside but she does have one flaw. Her boyfriends keep dying in her company. Each time, she claims self-defense. Luckily, her protective older sister Korede is willing to literally clean up her mess
This book was very suspenseful! I honestly couldn’t figure out what Korede was going to do about the situation with her sister and the doctor. And oh my gosh – the sister was so vapid and selfish! I wanted to yell at Korede to quit protecting her. I guess that’s what big sisters are for.
This book is a short read that’s fast paced and fun. There’s some dark humor in it that makes it not as morbid as it sounds. Take a close look at the cover – creepy! Recommended.
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time and time again. Korede, a nurse, is secretly in love with one of the doctors she works with but he has no idea. When Ayoola visits the hospital one day, he is immediately taken with her and her beauty like every other man she’s ever met. Now Korede has to decide where her loyalties lie because chances are that Ayoola’s relationship with the doctor will end like all her others.This book was very suspenseful! I honestly couldn’t figure out what Korede was going to do about the situation with her sister and the doctor. And oh my gosh – the sister was so vapid and selfish! I wanted to yell at Korede to quit protecting her. I guess that’s what big sisters are for.
This book is a short read that’s fast paced and fun. There’s some dark humor in it that makes it not as morbid as it sounds. Take a close look at the cover – creepy! Recommended.
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
This book was more a long short story or novella than a novel with a pretty simple plot. Sister seems to find herself killing people. Sister helps her cover the killings Unsatisfactory ending. Lots of words in a Nigerian language I don't know and didn't understand, but that was okay. Just not a
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very satisfactory story. Show Less
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
A pleasant little diversion full of dark humor and sisterly devotion. More of a character study than a thriller, but still quite fun. I'd like to see a film adaptation.
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2019)
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2019)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2020)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Mystery/Thriller — 2018)
Anthony Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2019)
The Morning News Tournament of Books (Finalist — 2019)
Macavity Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2019)
Barry Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2019)
Indies Choice Book Award (Honor Book — 2019)
The British Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — Audiobook — 2020)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Fiction — 2019)
Theakstons Old Peculier Prize (Longlist — 2020)
Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award (Longlist — 2020)
NPR: Books We Love (2018)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2020)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018-07-17
Physical description
240 p.; 5.08 inches
ISBN
1786495988 / 9781786495983
Other editions
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DDC/MDS
| 823.92 |