Sunday 6 September 2020

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite



If you knew a member of your family was a serial killer would you protect them? Is blood actually thicker than water? Can you even answer that question? I'm not sure I can. 

Set in Nigeria, the book launches straight into the action, when Korede is disturbed at dinner in order to clean up after another murder by her sister. She takes it in her stride, until it looks like Ayoola might kill the man Korede has been in love with for a long time. Only then does she really start to doubt her sister, who always seems to make excuses for  why she had to kill someone. Her excuses appear plausible, but as the situation keeps repeating, it becomes difficult for Korede to justify her sister's actions.

The family set up is strange and we only find out later in the book what has occurred in the past, that may have made Ayoola believe that murder is acceptable. I liked both characters, which feels a weird thing to say when one is a serial killer, but the author has made her likable. Ayoola made murder seem as routine and mundane as brushing your teeth on a daily basis. 

The chapters are short, sharp, funny and you can easily read this book in a day. The ending left me with unanswered questions, which I suppose is how Korede felt as she never really got to the bottom of why her sister felt the need to murder any man who payed her attention.  I didn't feel the characters went through any changes within the book, which is something you come to expect in fiction. It felt more as though we were being given a glimpse into their lives. 

On the whole, I enjoyed it and I look forward to reading more by this author. 



1 comment:

  1. I have been very curious about this particular book lately! Thanks for the review. I'll have to check it out.

    ReplyDelete

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