Plot summary of My Sister the Serial Killer

Korede knows what’s coming when her dinner is interrupted by a call from her sister. Another boyfriend dead; and she’ll be called in to help clean up the crime scene. Ayoola is as beautiful as she is lethal, and Korede wonders whether she has a responsibility to turn her sister in. To try to end the string of deaths. But the question gains a new significance when Ayoola shows an interest in the doctor Korede is in love with.

Content warnings

• Murder
• Physical and emotional abuse
• Domestic violence
• References to sexual exploitation

My thoughts on My Sister the Serial Killer

My Sister the Serial Killer is the first novel from author Oyinkan Braithwaite. It’s also one of the best books I’ve read this year. Witty, sharp, sinister yet surprisingly funny, the book keeps you on your toes. At times it almost feels more like poetry than prose, in the best possible way.

Told from the first-person perspective of Korede, the book starts with the phone call from Ayoola. She’s killed her boyfriend, ostensibly in self-defense. Now she wants help dealing with the body. The story continues, with some chapters flashing back to the sisters’ upbringing with a dangerous father. Over time, we come to better understand the bond between Korede and Ayoola; even as that bond is tested by Ayoola’s interest in the gorgeous doctor Korede works with. She’s been hoping to catch his attention, but when Ayoola sets her sights on him it puts a distinctly personal spin on the moral dilemma Korede has been grappling with over her sister’s murderous pattern.

Never has the phrase ‘darkly comic’ felt more apt

As you would expect, given the subject matter, the book is undeniably dark. Whether we’re living in the suspense of the story’s present tense, which means waiting for Ayoola’s next kill, or dwelling on their rocky family past. In either case though, Braithwaite writes with undeniable humour. Korede is used to being overlooked next to her gorgeous sister; she makes keen observations, has a strong sense of self-awareness, and she narrates with a blunt honesty that can’t help but be appealing.

More than once I found myself laughing out loud while reading, although I’m not sure I could have explained what I found so funny. I think it was a kind of delight at the writing itself as much as anything specific. I found myself really drawn to Korede as a narrator. Her impatience and frustration with Ayoola, combined with her bone-deep sense of responsibility towards her younger sibling, made for a potent combination.

Ayoola being Ayoola, she would probably convince the court that she was innocent. Her actions were the fault of her victims and she had acted as any reasonable, gorgeous person would under the circumstances.

My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite

The writing in My Sister the Serial Killer is razor-sharp

The book is fairly short, and the story plays out with flawless pacing. Never rushing into any new development, but moving inexorably forward, forcing Korede ever-closer to the decision she knows she’s going to have to make eventually. How far is she willing to go to protect her sister? How much is she willing to give up for her? My Sister the Serial Killer examines family loyalty, love and obligation from several angles in a short space of time.

Braithwaite’s writing is efficient and delightful, and Korede’s narration is packed with character. It lacks some of the tension of a typical thriller, but there’s still a healthy side of suspense as you wait to see how Korede will choose to handle her sister’s latest love interest. I never found myself bored, not that the book leaves much time for that, and raced through the story to find out what would happen.

In summary…

My Sister the Serial Killer is disturbing, funny and fiercely intelligent. A great choice if you’re after something short and snappy, or something a bit different on the crime shelf. As I mentioned on the last episode of The Island Library Podcast, despite being a recent read this was probably one of my favourite books from this year. Highly, highly recommended!