My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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…

Edition:
Kindle e-Book (library loan)

My Thoughts:
After reading My Sister, the Serial Killer, I feel like calling it horror might be a stretch, but I’m still sticking with it for the purposes of shoehorning it into #WiHM – because you know what? Strictly horror or not (it’s subjective anyway), serial killers ARE FUCKING SCARY.

By that logic, I am using this book to fulfill prompt #2, Book by a WOC author, but it also fits with #3 (again) – Book that has been on your TBR forever. I shelved this book on GoodReads back in 2018.

I found this story utterly fascinating for two reasons:

1. It is rare to read about female serial killers
2. It is also rare to read about any killer from the perspective of someone who loves them and cares about them rather than the POV of the person tasked with catching them.

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

The family unit is a very important part of Nigerian culture (at least according to my research, and my experience with the handful of Nigerian people that I know personally), so seeing the dynamics of a family like Korede’s is really interesting. On the one hand, she knows that her sister is dangerous, but on the other, there is nothing more important to her than protecting her baby sister – this is a duty she has been tasked with since the moment Ayoola was born, and one that she takes very seriously. The story is much more about Korede’s struggle to decide how she will cope with Ayoola’s penchant for killing than it is anything else. It is the struggle between loyalty to family and loyalty to the outside world.

My Sister, the Serial Killer deals heavily with the lasting impacts of childhood trauma, as the sisters were shaped by an abusive, domineering father. Perhaps this explains why Korede feels the need to protect Ayoola no matter what – because she has always protected her. And perhaps it also explains why Ayoola kills men – because she has learned to fear them, and in being the aggressor, she is able to feel as though she’s the one in control now. But, what do I know. I’m no psychologist. All I know is this: Ayoola is a pampered, spoiled little brat who sidelines in murder, and Korede is her long-suffering, mature counterpoint – and yet, it seems that there just can’t be one without the other. Their bond is definitely the most interesting aspect of the story.

About the Author:

Oyinkan Braithwaite is a graduate of Creative Writing and Law from Kingston University. Following her degree, she worked as an assistant editor at Kachifo, a Nigerian publishing house, and has been freelancing as a writer and editor since.

In 2014, she was shortlisted as a top-ten spoken-word artist in the Eko Poetry Slam, and in 2016 she was a finalist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

Rating:

I almost wish that I understood Ayoola a little bit better. I know that this isn’t her story (it is definitely Korede’s), but I am just dying to understand her more. Like, I know she’s got issues, obviously, and I understand what led her down that path, but I want to know more about what is going on inside her head. Perhaps I will get lucky and the next we see from Braithwaite will be something along the lines of Me, Ayoola: Serial Killer.

My Sister, the Serial Killer
By Oyinkan Braithwaite
Doubleday Books
Horror, Thriller, Fiction
ISBN: 0385544235
Published: November 20, 2018
First Published: July 17, 2017
E-book, Hardcover, Paperback, Audio
226 Pages