My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
narrated by Adepero Oduye
Random House Audio, 2018
4 hours and 19 minutes
Source: library download
Publisher's summary:
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...
Opening lines:
Ayoola summons me with these words - Korede, I killed him.My thoughts:
I had hoped I would never hear those words again.
I was going to skip this book, but circumstances aligned to alter my plans. First, My Sister, the Serial Killer won the Morning News Tournament of Books, then several trusted bloggers rated it highly, and finally, the audio version was immediately available from my library. The fact that it's so short helped, too!
My Sister, the Serial Killer is unusual, engaging, and slightly disturbing. It's billed as darkly comic, but I found it more satirical than humorous. The writing is economical and sharp. I enjoyed the exploration of Ayoola and Korede's sibling relationship, loyalty gone awry, and family dysfunction, as well as the commentary on social media.
The audio edition is very well done, with Adepero Oduye's Nigerian accent enriching the overall experience. Listening was definitely the right choice for me.
If you're at all curious, I urge you to give this short novel a try.
My rating:
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