REVIEW: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithewaite

A short, sharp breath of fresh air for literary crime fiction

MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite Published on 3rd January 2019 by Atlantic Books

I’d heard so many good things about this book that I had to take the plunge and read it, and I was not disappointed.

Korede is a nurse in Lagos, meticulously clean and hugely efficient. Her sister, Ayoola, is a serial killer with a nasty habit of offing the men she’s dating. Always the supportive older sister, and with her cleaning and medical acumen, Korede is drawn in to helping sort out the mess left behind. But when Ayoola sets her sights on Tade, a doctor at the hospital who Korede is smitten with herself, Korede is forced to question her role and relationship with her sister. Can she continue to sit back and let her get away with murder, even if it means putting the man she loves in danger?

There's been a real trend over the past few years for 'book club thrillers' - crime thrillers that tackle deeper issues, whether it's questions of consent, race, gender, class or other similar themes - and this book is a fantastic addition to that burgeoning genre. It's a breath of fresh air, with a wholly original pair of main characters and a wonderful combination of toxic familial and romantic relationships, told with a sharp wit and blazing ferocity. Incredibly well written, pacy and a storming narrative, both assertive and with room for consideration, this is a corker of a novel, and at not much more than 100 pages, definitely worth an afternoon’s devouring.

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