“Ayoola summons me with these words—Korede, I killed him.”
― Oyinkan Braithwaite, My Sister, the Serial Killer

I think I suffer from a kind of genre fatigue. I can never read too much of the same kind of book without itching for something different. This doesn’t seem to affect me with fiction in general (which I read way more than non-fiction) but I can’t read a whole lot of mysteries, or a whole lot of historical fiction or whatever in a row without feeling like I need a break. To cleanse my palette, so to speak, with something different. So after several weeks of reading novels that involved a lot of heavy lifting thematically and emotionally, I was ready for something lighter. If it seems odd that I am describing a novel about a serial killer as “light”, let me explain…

My Sister, the Serial Killer is the debut novel of Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite. The main character is Korede, a practical, no-nonsense nurse who lives at home with her mother and younger sister, Ayoola. Ayoola is beautiful and talented. She works as a clothing designer, and because of her beauty, everything in life comes easily to her. Korede is in love with a doctor who works at her hospital and she has hopes that their friendship might turn into something more – until he meets Ayoola. You could be excused for thinking what I’ve described so far sounds like a classic love triangle with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry on the side. But there is one critical difference. Ayoola murders her boyfriends. This is not a spoiler because the novel opens with Korede helping her seemingly “perfect” sister dispose of a body … for the third time. And according to Korede’s research, three murders is what defines a serial killer. From the beginning of the book, Korede seems resigned to the fact that there is no help for Ayoola and ultimately has to ask herself how far she is willing to go to protect her little sister, even when she knows her sister is entirely in the wrong.

Ayoola’s stunning levels of self-interest mean that she is largely unconcerned with the greater moral implications of what she has done and Korede is left to wrestle with the guilt and worry in the wake of their actions. While Korede is trying to comes to terms with her decision to help Ayoola cover up her crimes, her sister is posting selfies on Instagram and lining up her next date. Korede’s frustrations with Ayoola and her jealousy of her have a darkly comic effect in the novel. Braithwaite plays with many conventions of so-called “chick lit” novels but then adds in this completely unexpected element of making Ayoola a serial killer. It doesn’t seem like it should be funny and yet it is.

This novel is a very fast read and I found it pretty entertaining. The best way I can describe it is to say, think Bridget Jones meets Dexter. If that makes any kind of sense to you and sounds appealing, it’s worth picking up. Korede is a really good character and while her sister’s actions are extreme, in many ways Braithwaite juxtaposes this with completely relatable family dynamics that make you feel like you know this family. Except, you know, the bits where the younger sister stabs her ex-boyfriends.

Tomorrow I will post April’s Line Up. Until then, happy reading!