Book Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

I mean, the title of Oyinjan Braithwaite’s novel alone was enough to have me add it to my read list. Truly. I’ve never even read a blurb about this book! Wisest decision I have made to read My Sister, the Serial Killer. What a neat book!

We meet Korede on the way to help clean up a dead body for her sister, Ayoola. She’s strikingly calm about the situation until we lean that this isn’t the first, but third time she’s been asked to do this on her sister’s behalf. Evidently three kills makes you a serial killer (I’d argue two, but…). Even though I was mentally screaming throughout this whole novel that Korede should turn her sociopathic sister into the police, I can also very much understand why she didn’t. True, I am not from Nigeria, so I don’t know how much stronger “family comes first” is for them, but I have a twin sister and I think that perhaps no matter what vicious crimes she commits, I would probably cover them up, too.

But that is the battle that Korede faces this entire novel. Especially when the next guy Ayoola dates is a doctor she not only works with, but has a massive crush on herself. She knows it will end poorly, but it doesn’t seem to matter what she says to Tade or Ayoola. He is blinded by her beauty and well, Ayoola is a detached and materialistic sociopath. All she cares about is nice things and at the mention of one unsavory observation it’s game over for her latest plaything. Without coming right out and telling Tade how dangerous her sister is, she warns him well enough, but on deaf ears. The only other person she’s revealed any of her sister’s secrets to is a coma patient she visits frequently.

Without giving any more details away, this book was a pretty fun read. Sure, murder is not a fun topic, but the amount of wit throughout the novel is top notch. This is also a fairly short and breezy read, so if you’re looking for something to jumpstart your reading as we head into the holidays, I highly recommend this book! I’ll look forward to whatever else Braithwaite puts out in the future.