At the end of May, I asked my daughter to help curate my June TBR, so I decided to ask my husband to pick a book as well. I made him pick a number between 1 and 190 from my WANT TO READ shelf on Goodreads and I would request that book from the library if I didn't already own it. This is what he chose!
Book #183 - My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Published: November 20, 2018Publisher: Doubleday BooksPages: 226Received: borrowed from libraryFind Online: GoodreadsMy Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...
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...
A quick read and quite entertaining. The entire story is told from Korede's point of view and slowly lets you in to her life and that of her sociopath of a sister. Where Korede is pragmatic, responsible and steady, Ayoola is whimsical, flighty and bold. I felt like the main theme of the book is how sister's stick together and big sisters take care of the younger siblings:
"You’re a big sister now, Korede. And big sisters look after little sisters."
Korede is tired of helping bail her sister out of the murderous situations she finds herself in, but somehow still keeps enabling her by helping her clean up the messes and disposing of the bodies. She also keeps Ayoola in check by reminding her to not post certain types of things to social media as she should be in mourning for her "missing" boyfriend. Ayoola pretty much owes everything to her big sister, but really doesn't show her any appreciation. Ayoola brings the comedy to this story as she just acts like nothing has happened, continues her flirting with men, designing her flashy clothing line and living her best life. Korede gets frustrated and is tempted to stop helping her, but realizes she's pretty much in it for the long haul now:
"It takes a whole lot longer to dispose of a body than to dispose of a soul, especially if you don’t want to leave any evidence of foul play."
Overall, this book has a dark humour to it and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the story. The best part is the familial obligation and how Korede always cares for her sister, regardless of the horrors she brings upon them. The only thing I would have changed was the ending and would have liked it to have been elaborated a little more.
A great debut! Looking forward to reading more from Ms. Braithwaite.
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