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My Sister, the Serial Killer: A Novel by…
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My Sister, the Serial Killer: A Novel (edition 2019)

by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,4392513,786 (3.79)367
"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)
Member:JKJ94
Title:My Sister, the Serial Killer: A Novel
Authors:Oyinkan Braithwaite (Author)
Info:Anchor (2019), Edition: Reprint, 240 pages
Collections:Would Like To Read, 2019 Alphabet Soup Challenge, Read & Reviewed, Reviewed For The BookLook Bloggers Program, Read, My NetGalley Read & Reviews, Your library, Currently reading
Rating:
Tags:to-read

Work Information

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Recently added byprivate library, biblio_creep, cherryplums, Irina79, maromo, Donnela, Charna19, theveggies, Shannonb8
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English (242)  German (2)  French (1)  Hungarian (1)  Piratical (1)  All languages (247)
Showing 1-5 of 242 (next | show all)
This was dark, twisted and fun - an interesting take on the bond between sisters. ( )
  escapinginpaper | May 18, 2024 |
Fairly clever book. Enjoyed the exploration of social media, family interactions, masculine stereotypes and office dynamics all while trying to figure out if I could trust the narrator. Managing to make her, and e en her sister, somewhat sympathetic was quite an accomplishment ( )
  cspiwak | Mar 6, 2024 |
When I started reading I thought the writing was spare and a bit simple, but then I think there was a reason. Suddenly Korede would say something surprising and I would have to go back and read it again to make sure I understood what she just revealed. I think Ayoola wasn't as shallow or flaky as I thought in the beginning, she is very sly.

I enjoyed, very quick read, it is described as 'dark comedy'.... I guess I can agree with that. ( )
  almin | Mar 4, 2024 |
Raised by an abusive father, the younger and irresponsible sister finds herself incapable of having a relationship without murdering the man, and her duty bound elder sister feels resigned to helping clean up the mess, most literally. Somewhere between drama and black comedy, it’s a quick and fun read with a couple of memorable and well done characters. ( )
  lelandleslie | Feb 24, 2024 |
Two sisters live together in their family home in Nigeria. Korede and Ayoola. The older sister is a hardworking nurse in a hospital and her sibling is a killer.

Ayoola is beautiful and manipulative and when things go wrong she calls her big sister Korede to help her 'fix it'. Korede has a crush on a doctor at work, but when he meets Ayoola and falls for her instead, it creates a painful wedge between the sisters.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite has a brilliant and engaging premise but I'll admit reading it was a little stressful. Ayoola's conduct was incredibly frustrating and I really felt for Korede and the complicated relationship with her narcissistic sister; seething with sibling jealousy yet bonded by familial love.

Braithwaite successfully ramps up the tension and it seems as though she took out all the stops to make the reader squirm. I don't recall squirming so much for the main character since reading Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater and wanting to shout out some pointed life advice at one of the characters.

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a quick read packed with dark humour as Korede must decide where her loyalties lie. Is she an enabler, an accomplice after the fact or her sister's willing victim? Will she choose family or justice? Can she choose both? The setting in Nigeria was refreshing and I enjoyed the scenes taking place in the hospital and in particular, the relationship Korede has with a coma patient.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite was popular when it was published in 2018 and reading it more than 5 years later, I can see what all the fuss was about. If you enjoy your domestic thriller light with a dash of black humour, you'll enjoy this!

And if you like books about sisters, check out my post entitled 4 Books About Sisters on my TBR (https://www.carpelibrum.net/2023/10/4-books-about-sisters-on-my-tbr.html) One down, three to go! ( )
  Carpe_Librum | Feb 20, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 242 (next | show all)
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 inward and forces a reflection on the problems of the family, and how families can distort people’s lives.
 
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 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.
 
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.
 

» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Braithwaite, Oyinkanprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Dinçer, YaseminTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Oduye, AdeperoNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Opia, WerucheNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Windsor, Michael J.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For my family, whom I love very much:

Akin, Tokunbo, Obafunke, Siji, Ore
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Ayoola summons me with these words -- Korede, I killed him.
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"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"--

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