My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - Review and personal reflections

There are books that end up on my to read list because I feel they have something essential to tell me and others because they respond to an emotional need. I can’t quite define to give an example, I once told you about my dog. At some point, the love I felt for him no longer had channels through which it could flow so I decided to search for every book on the subject (shockingly few, by the way) before my heart would burst with love.

I was looking for something that would give me the same feeling as the movie The art of racing in the rain to help me imagine what he might have been thinking behind those expressive eyes. Then reading Kevin Behan’s Your dog is your mirror, I discovered that dogs actually don’t reason at all the way we do.

But I digress. Let's get back to us. My Sister, the Serial Killer landed on my to-read list not by chance, but because at that moment my heart was not overflowing with love, as in the case of my dog, but with anger. Anger towards my sister, and maybe a little towards myself, because I had always believed we shared a kind of telepathic bond - only to suddenly discovered that it felt as though we were speaking different languages, like two strangers with no hope of understanding each other, let alone resolving our conflict

So I added the title on Goodreads thinking about my relationship with my sister. While waiting for better times, I immersed myself in this novel that revolves around two sisters in an extreme ironic and surprising way.

AI generated image of two sisters torn between love and rivalry: the essence of My Sister, the Serial Killer in a single image.

My Sister, the Serial Killer - A Bit of Plot

I'll share the back-cover synopsis here because it was what convinced me that I absolutely had to read this book right away, with sky-hogh expectations - not so much for the plot, but for Oyinkan Braithwaite's sharp narrative voice:.

"When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected 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 Sister, the Serial Killer - My Review

Having a sister myself, I found this novel especially engaging and realistic. Not so much for the plot itself - which is deliberately surreal - but for the way Oyinkan Braithwaite captures the messy emotions that swirl in sibling relationships: love, jealousy, protection, iritation and so on. It feels like looking into a funhouse mirror that reflects an exaggerated image, but one that still is painfully true.

The style is sharp, fast-paced and direct. There's plenty of dark humor, which makes the story surprisingly light without trivalizing the heavy issues it addresses.  

Behind its apparent lightness, the novel touches on deep themes such as domestic violence, the weight of patriarchy and the role of women in society.

⚠️ Spoiler Alert: skip this paragraph if you don't want details.

⚠️ One of the most disturbing, and revealing at the same time, scenes is when the father considers selling his own daughter to a wealthy man. I don't remember if she was 15 or younger, but that's not the point, what mattered was that her age and innocence didn't matter at all. Worse still, the very person who should have been her greatest protector - her father - was the one who would become her perpetrator, had he gone through with it. It's a moment that sticks with you, because behind the absurdity of fiction lies the bitter reflection of real situations that still, sadly, exist today. ⚠️

AI generated image of Lagos, Nigeria: the vibrant and chaotic setting where My Sister, the Serial Killer comes to life.

Me, the elder sister 

I read this book in March, when I was stll living with my sister, in an emotional bubble that seemd ready to burst at any moment. I saw myself mostly in the older sister, who, like the title itself - seems to carry an invisible package of responsibility, guilt and duty that doesn't always belong to us, but that everyone notices the moment we fail to live up to it.

I even found myself wickedly enjoying the moments on the page that echoed the daily tensions I was living through, or the words I wished I could say to my sister, spoken instead by someone else. I felt understood.

Although it's a quick read, I wouldn't call it light at all. My Sister, the Serial Killer is a novel that stays with you, that makes you smile but also reflect. It's a book I wholeheartedly recommend.

If you'd like to listen to My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite in audiobook format, you can find it here: YouTube Link

🔗 Goodreads Link: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

🛒 Amazon Link : If you haven't read it yet, you can find My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite on Amazon.