My Sister, the Serial Killer in Point Blank

Dec 30, 2018 Melki rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, crime-fiction

Ayoola summons me with these words - Korede, I killed him.
I had hoped I would never hear those words again.

The most important word in the above sentences is again. Three times now Ayoola has "killed him." And, three times now, Korede has helped clean up the mess.

Korede and Ayoola are about as different as two sisters can be. As Korede puts it, . . . Ayoola looks like a Bratz doll and I resemble a voodoo figurine. Everything about Korede smacks of the utilitarian: her angular shape, and her ta ...more

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Mar 20, 2020 Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery-thriller, black-authors, afrocentric, cool-concept, heroines, globe-trotting

This debut novel follows Korede, a nurse who, after helping her sister Ayoola dispose of her third dead body, is now beginning to discover that Ayoola might be a serial killer. I love how efficient the writing here proved to be: the short, clipped chapters, the bare, no-nonsense prose that gets right down to business with character development, and the nimble and direct first-person narration all led to a speedy, effective read.

Not only is it an entertaining little thriller but it also develops ...more

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Dec 22, 2018 Jake rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller-crime

Movies and books share many obvious differences but what’s especially difficult for the reader versus the cinephile is there aren’t nearly as many movies as there are books. You’d have to practically live under a rock not to know about films like Aquaman and Vice premiering close to or on Christmas, and even if you want to find info non-blockbuster popular indy types like The Favourite, the internet makes that relatively easy.

Whereas with books, there are thousands (millions?) that get released Movies and books share many obvious differences but what’s especially difficult for the reader versus the cinephile is there aren’t nearly as many movies as there are books. You’d have to practically live under a rock not to know about films like Aquaman and Vice premiering close to or on Christmas, and even if you want to find info non-blockbuster popular indy types like The Favourite, the internet makes that relatively easy.

Whereas with books, there are thousands (millions?) that get released yearly throughout a wide range of genres and if you’re on the hunt for new titles outside of those written by megastar authors like Stephen King, you’ve got to know where to look. Blogs, websites, Goodreads. You have to be somewhat connected.

All that to say, My Sister, the Serial Killer is a rare example of a blockbuster book. I’ve seen it promoted just about everywhere I read about what to read. The cover art is memorable and that helps, but this book has made just about every single list from bestsellers to best-of. If you have even a remote interest in crime fiction, whether or not you do a good job keeping up with new releases, it’s difficult to avoid this.

I had been meaning to pick it up from the library when, earlier this week, a friend unexpectedly lent me a copy (sans cover, which he was afraid I would damage and I don’t blame him). I read it in a sitting-and-a-half and even apart from the hype, it is a good read. I’m impressed that this is Oyinkan Braithwaite’s first novel. I read that she’s a poet and poets have a way of providing sharp, crisp prose for the novels they write.

The story itself is well told. The narration from the first person perspective of Korede, the lead character, will stay with me. I don’t normally like serial killer tales but this isn’t a typical one. Rather, it’s a story about sisters: what makes them so alike and so different and how their parents relationship affected them for better and (mostly) for worse. There are probably larger satirical points being made about Nigerian society, patriarchal violence, etc. but the story itself is focused and it works effectively. I felt connected to the bond Korede has with her sister, a bond that lasts for better and for worse, and how her character is always swimming against the tide.

Again, I’m not familiar with Nigerian lit so I’m sure subtleties were missed but from what I gathered, this was a good read. Definitely one of my favorites of 2018. ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 Mack rated it really liked it

With a title like this how could I not pick up this book?

I should mention that the serial killer part is really peripheral to the family dynamics of the story and I especially enjoyed the bits where you get a look at Nigerian family life. The book was originally published as an ebook in Nigeria with the title Thicker Than Water andIn some respects I wish they had kept that title. Having "serial killer" in the title might put off people who would otherwise enjoy the book but think it the typical With a title like this how could I not pick up this book?

I should mention that the serial killer part is really peripheral to the family dynamics of the story and I especially enjoyed the bits where you get a look at Nigerian family life. The book was originally published as an ebook in Nigeria with the title Thicker Than Water andIn some respects I wish they had kept that title. Having "serial killer" in the title might put off people who would otherwise enjoy the book but think it the typical serial killer stalky slashy stuff.

Korede is nurse in a hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. She is as practical and efficient as her younger sister, Ayoola, a master at social media, is flighty. Ayoola is also perfect in every one's eyes and so impossibly beautiful that everyone she meets is immediately smitten and captivated by her. She is also likely a sociopath whose last three boyfriends have ended up dead. Three, and they label you a serial killer Korede whispers to a comatose patient, Muhtar, in whom she confides her fears and frustrations believing he can't hear her. Ayoola doesn't comprehend that she might have done something bad and so completely believes her own lies that whatever she says is accepted. And Korede, the protective older sister and expert at cleaning, has to cover up the murders. She says about Ayoola:

"Ayoola lives in a world where things must always go her way. It's a law as certain as the law of gravity."

Korede has been cultivating a relationship with a doctor in her hospital, Tade, and seems to be getting somewhere. Then Tade meets Ayoola and Korede disappears into the background. To make it even more hurtful, Tade can't even articulate why he is drawn to Ayoola:

"K: Tade . . . what do you like about my sister?
T: Everything.
K: But if you had to be specific?
T: Well . . . she is really special.
K: Okay . . . but what makes her special?
T: She is just so . . . I mean she is beautiful and perfect."
Will Korede's impulse to protect her sister collapse under the stress of a police investigation into the latest murder and losing her possible love to her largely indifferent sister?

My Sister the Serial Killer is a fun read told in first person from the viewpoint of a very harried Korede who is trying to balance her work, love life [nonexistent], and trying to keep her sister from doing something stupid that will draw the attention of the authorities. Along the way Korede relates events from their childhood which, now that I think of it, account for Ayala's homicidal tendencies.

What emerges is a sensitive , sometimes dark, portrayal of a woman shouldering an immense burden who has bitterness at being overshadowed by her younger sister but still willing to do what has to be done to keep the sister safe, something she has done all their lives.

The author is Nigerian and lives in Lagos. I would say that the book has a very nice local flavor. A few Yoruba words and phrases are in the text but nothing that Google couldn't handle or would pull the reader out of the story. The chapters are short and the writing pulls you along briskly so I finished it in a few hours.

The story stands alone but it would be interesting to see a sequel. There is certainly room for one. ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 Joe Nicholl rated it really liked it

Great fun read! An plain looking older sister who is a nurse keeps pulling her beautiful little sister out of messes...like bumping off her boyfriends! Tongue-in-cheek humor through-out...well written first novel...also a good look at Lagos, Nigeria...only draw-back is it's kinda 'chick-flick'. No biggie, fun read...4.0 outta 5.0!!! ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 Rob rated it it was ok

Shelves: crime

A reminder that popular books are seldom good books.

I went into this with an open mind and not particularly high expectations, but it failed to clear the low bar I had set for it. Disappointing.

Why do so many mediocre books succeed in getting so much hype?

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Aug 22, 2019 Natcha♡ rated it really liked it

although it's a bit eerie that the younger sister could be so charming to make all the men (but one) in the novel to lose their brains over her, it's a fun read and I like it a lot! ...more

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Mar 10, 2021 Samantha rated it really liked it

A clever, brisk read. I gobbled it up. I love how much she can say in so few words, like this:

"What's going..." Tade's voice trails to nothing and the blood cools within my body. Ayoola frees herself from my grip, but it doesn't matter; it's too late anyway. His eyes settle on Ayoola and dilate. He adjusts his coat. "What's going on?" he says again, his voice suddenly husky. ...more

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