![]() ![]() Korede’s role as protector is complicated when her own crush, Tade, a doctor, starts dating Ayoola and Korede must choose between them. Their mother only seems interested in Ayoola’s marriage prospects, “as though love is only for the beautiful” and when Ayoola walks into Korede’s workplace (the hospital), all heads turn because “she looks as though she has brought the sunshine in with her”. Korede also feels jealousy for her sister’s attractiveness and the way she wins men and gains popularity with ease. This does not come without a sense of injustice and bitterness, “it takes a whole lot longer to dispose of a body than to dispose of a soul” – her job is harder and more straining! To make matters worse, Ayoola does not even seem affected by her actions, “Do you not realise the gravity of what you have done? Are you enjoying this?” and remains as glamourous as ever. ![]() Ayoola would fail a class, and I would be blamed for not coaching her ” This seems to drive her to protect her sister from the police, to clean up after her, remove the evidence and put herself at risk as an accessory to murder. ![]() Ayoola would break a glass, and I would receive the blame for giving her the drink. The narrator, Korede, the older sister, constantly feels a sense of responsibility over Ayoola, “that’s how it has always been. The relationship between the two sisters seems to be the focal point of the novel. So I chose instead to rely on luck and speed”. Korede checks the apartment landing is clear and is tempted to pray no one comes out, “but I am fairly certain that those are exactly the types of prayers He doesn’t answer. They move on to taking the body in a lift and the clumsiness and narrow escapes add to the sense of comedy about (rather than in spite of) the situation. At the start, Korede focuses on bleach and how to clean up the blood. The genre mixes thriller, romance, crime and family drama in a short compelling read which is full of dark, dead-pan humour. Braithwaite also switches between the present day and the girls’ childhood, gradually revealing a past trauma. Its short chapters keep the pace going throughout. We are immediately thrown into the story: Korede’s sister, Ayoola, has killed her boyfriend and it is not the first time this has happened. I had hoped I would never hear those words again”. The novel is fast-paced from the outset, opening in medias res: “Ayoola summons me with these words – Korede, I killed him. This book is a funny, slightly disturbing read set in Lagos, about a woman whose sister (as the title says) is a serial killer! In an interview with the Observer, Braithwaite revealed that it was written during a short period of slight madness when she was trying to break writers block she did not think My Sister the Serial Killer would turn out to be seen as her best work yet. My Sister the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite ![]()
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