My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite is the story of two sisters, one of whom, Ayoola, l has the habit of burying a knife into her boyfriends, the other of whom (the narrator, the eldest, Korede) cleans up after and protects her sister. This is a darkly comic story of love and death in Lagos filled with tension of both the familial and the more suspenseful kind; is Ayoola just incredibly unlucky in love and acting in self-defence, or is she a cold-blooded serial killer? When Ayoola gets involved with her sister’s work collegue, Korede has to decide...

This was a little different to what I’ve been reading recently but I really enjoyed it! Korede is a compelling character and as an eldest sister myself I appreciated her sense of responsibility and fierce protection of her younger sibling. This is also, for all its dark subject matter, a consistently laugh-out-loud hilarious book and the world of the city of Lagos leaps off the page. Overall it’s slick, inventive, and absorbing - 4 🌟! I recieved this book via @netgalley from @atlanticbooks to review but as ever this has not influenced my opinions or this review in any way.

Many of the books I have been reading recently have been whopping tomes of about 400 pages, so when I read reviews about this book, I was drawn to the fact that a) readers loved it, and b) it was under 180 pages (on my e-reader that is, it may differ in print). What it lacks in page numbers, it makes up for in content. The action flows, the characters come to life, the blood spills. You may have to forgive the author for not expanding on some points, and for letting the sisters get away with some actions that in other murder mystery books would have had them arrested and sentenced on the spot, because to keep the plot short and punchy some things have to be let go. I loved the scenes of Korede at work as a nurse in the hospital - you almost forget that there is a murderous sister at play in the background of the story. You pity the foolish doctor who falls under the spell of the sly knife-wielding sister, and you almost understand why she is how she is when you learn more about their father and his associates.

A good short thriller that satisfies, and an author to look out for in the future.

A fun and thrilling story set in Nigeria. I found some of the dialogue hard to follow due to the language differences. But I was sad to reach the end of the book.

Korede is the older sister and that brings with it the the feeling of responsibility for her younger sister Ayoola, but how many sisters would go so far as to dispose of bodies that her Ayoola had killed. This is not only a mystery/suspense book but it also delves into the family dynamics, how far would you go to make sure your sister is safe?
Set in Lagos Korede is a nurse and lives with her mum and her sister who she loves very much and so when she gets the call from her pleading for her help because she has stabbed her latest boyfriend she does not hesitate in rushing to her side and cleaning up after her and disposing of the body. You may think that this is taking 'family ' a bit too far but this is not the first time she has done this.
I really enjoyed the book and the short chapters seemed to encourage me to 'just read another one' and I whizzed through the book.

My Sister, the Serial Killer features two archetypal sisters – the pretty one and the sensible one. Korede, a conscientious and competent nurse, comes to the rescue of the beautiful and charismatic Ayoola when she murders a boyfriend (again).

This opening section of the novel is brilliant. We see the sleek minimalism of the victim, Femi’s, apartment, violated by his own blood, and get a chillingly detailed account of how Korede cleans up and disposes of the body (turns out I’ve been using bleach wrong all these years).

Later, we see how Ayoola is oblivious to the trauma she has inflicted. When Korede objects to her posting selfies to Instagram at the point where she is supposed to be mourning for her ‘missing’ boyfriend, she is genuinely bewildered. Korede continues to cover for her, even when Ayoola begins to turn up at the hospital where she works and dazzle the doctor Korede is in love with.

I liked the voice and the humour and the dynamic between the two sisters. My slight disappointment with the novel is that it never moves beyond the predictable. It doesn’t have the twists and the drama of a thriller, but nor does it have the depth of a psychological novel.

There is great poignancy in Korede’s reflections on Femi and his poetry (which was gorgeous, I’d have liked more of that!) and in her feeling the only person she can talk to is a comatose patient, but these elements of the story aren’t followed through. Instead, we got some backstory which suggests, not quite convincingly, how the sisters may have become who they are, and a downbeat ending.

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a stylish and atmospheric short novel, shot through with dark comedy. It’s an entertaining read, but it didn’t quite have the edge I was hoping for.

A short novel, too long to be a novella but not as long as usual. The relationship between Korede and Ayoola is alarmingly symbiotic. Korede needs to rescue Ayoola, as much as Ayoola needs rescuing. The dialogue and wit is razor sharp. An incredibly clever and unique satirical commentary on how much we value appearance over everything else in today's Snapchat/Instagram society. The only negative, for me personally, was that the ending was too abrupt. I shall be looking out for more of Ms Braithwaite's work.

A very different book for me,ai enjoyed lesrning about Nigerian culture and thought the story well written,quite funny in parts and would appeal to a wide range of readers

Astounding, enthralling and unputdownable I haven't read a book like that for a couple of years and what a great way to start 2019!

Oyinkan Braithwaites literary writing style is seamless and without fault from the offset. Not only can she produce duplicitous and multifaceted characters but also has the ability to draw you in and empathise with their history and actions leading to future events.

I am already a fan of Nigerian literary fiction but this will be one I recommend for sometime to come.

This tells the stories of 2 sisters each strong in their own way yet with the inexplicable link some siblings have based on their lives together.

Korede the eldest sister silent in her understanding that power does not always come from beauty. Intelligent, hardworking but naive to the world of love. So when the colleague she is besotted with falls for her stunning younger sister Ayoola the story will weave and wind it's way to its salivating conclusion.

This was a short and sweet book, and a pleasure to read from start to finish.

The story is written from the perspective of Korede, a very practical woman who has spent her life in the shadow of her beautiful younger sister, cleaning up the crime scenes she leaves behind when she consistently murders her boyfriends.
Korede resents Ayoola's behaviour and the fact she gets away with (literal) murder because she's physically attractive, but the family ties that bind them are strong so she feels she has to protect her and stand by while she goes about her sociopathic existence.
I really like Korede as a character, she isn't a flawless martyr in this story at all which makes things much more interesting.

As the story progresses, we find out more about the reasons behind why the sisters behave the way they do and the more I think about it, the more impressed I am with how the author managed to fit so many ingenious layers to this story in only 226 pages. It really is the gift that keeps on giving and has made it to my 'read again' list!

HUGEST of thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for letting me read their Book of The Month for January, and superlative debut, ‘My Sister, The Serial Killer’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite.
This Nigerian set, darkly comic ,feminist novel has such bite, each chapter is sharp, succinct and dripping with atmosphere and culture.
Sisters Ayoola and Korede are being raised by a mother fuelled by Ambien since the death of her husband. Korede is a nurse , Ayoola a fashion designer and social media icon, modelling her designers then making them. One is focussed on the internal workings of people and the other is focussed on appearance and artifice.

Except Ayoola keeps killing her boyfriends and Korede is the one she calls when it has happened again because that is what big sister's are supposed to do, right? But when the body count reaches 3 and Korede realises Ayoola is now a serial killer, where do they go from here?

And when Korede falls for a dr at the hospital, what happens when he meets Ayoola and things start to go horribly wrong?
A razor sharp thriller with a wonderful sparse turn of phrase that allows for no superfluous narration, Korede springs from the page , fully formed!
I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to see what Oyinkan Braithwaite does next!

My Sister, The Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite's debut novella, is a unique and refreshing read. It tells the tale of two sisters, Korede and Ayoola, who are close, so close in fact that Korede knows to expect her sister to call her next time she's in the mood for offing a lover from this mortal coil and wants someone to clean up her murderous mess. All that's to change though given Ayoola's interest in dating a doctor her sister has always loved, creating a conflict of interest. This time the gloves are off. This is such an unusual book, and the juxtaposition between the dark deeds and thoughts of a serial killer and the wit and black humour is really something special.

This is a truly wonderful creation and I can't help but hope there will be a sequel as I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to these spectacular sisters just yet. I rarely find modern humour entertaining but it is used cleverly here, very cleverly in fact. The final touches are put to this by the interesting references to Nigerian culture. I also have to mention the superb writing which had me hooked early on and everything worked well together to create one of my favourite books of 2018 and will appeal to those who are losing interest in the genre due to lack of originality. Bravo, Ms Braithewaite! This will stay with me for a long time to come.

Many thanks to Atlantic for an ARC.

Man ist gleich in der Geschichte drin, Korede hilft ihrer Schwester Ayoola die Leiche und die Spuren nach der dritten Tat zu beseitigen. Sie hat ihren Freund Femi angeblich in Notwehr getötet, wiedermal ein toter Freund...

Eines Tages geschieht das, was Korede immer vermeiden wollte, Ayoola kommt sie unangekündigt in die Klinik auf der Arbeit besuchen und trifft auf den jungen Arzt, für den Korede schon seit einem Jahr vergeblich schwärmt.

Doch dann wird hinter Femis Sofa ein blutiges Tuch gefunden...

Korede hat sich angewöhnt, sich bei dem bewusstlosen Koma Patienten Muhtar auszusprechen. Zur Krönung muss sie ihrer Schwester auch noch immerzu bestätigen, dass sie nicht böse auf sie ist und weiter an die Notwehrversionen glaubt. Ayoola war schon immer die schöne, beliebte und bevorzugte Schwester.

Keine Ahnung wie, aber Ayoola schafft es immer wieder, dass die anderen als schuldige Monster dastehen, die Unrecht haben.

Durch eingestreute Kapitel mit Rückblicken erfährt man mehr über die schwere Kindheit der beiden Schwestern mit dem untreuen, gewalttätigen Vater, der vor 10 Jahren verstorben ist.

Dieser Thriller ist recht nüchtern und zynisch, aber auch kurzweilig. Korede ist eine sympathische, nachvollziehbare Protagonistin. Man fiebert dem Ende entgegen.

5 von 5 Punkten

"More and more, she reminds me of him. He could do a bad thing and behave like a model citizen after. As though the bad thing had never happened. Is it in the blood? But his blood is my blood and my blood is hers."

This was my first read of 2019 and I really enjoyed it. It follows the story of Korede who, once again, has had to help her sister Ayoola clean up the mess after she's killed another one of her boyfriends. When Ayoola starts dating one of Korede's colleagues, a man she herself has been in love with for years, everything starts to unravel.

The clue is in the title for this one. Korede gets a call from her beautiful and irresponsible sister, Ayoola - something has happened. She has stabbed her boyfriend and Korede immediately goes to help her clean up the mess and get rid of the body. Of course she helps; Ayoola is her sister.

As time goes on, and Ayoola gets close to someone Korede cares about, she begins to worry that it might happen again. She begins to wonder whether she should have done something about her sister, the murderer....

This is just a much a story about sisters as it is about murder; perhaps even more so. Korede is the older sister, and very serious and responsible. Ayoola is the complete opposite - carefree, superficial, beautiful. But beneath all this they are still sisters and they still have things that bond them together as family. The question Korede must answer is whether these things are an excuse to cover up murder.

I love the writing in this book. It is both funny and emotional, and surprisingly not very serious given the subject matter of the book. The style of writing has a very contemporary feel, and the wonderful Nigerian slang and colloquialisms make this delightful to read - very different and interesting in comparison to European or American styles. The author has a very dry and dark humour which is perfect for the subject and the characters in this book.

The storyline was also something different in the way it is put across almost like a sit-com or lighthearted family drama, not as a serious story about murder and sisterhood. But it is both; all of the above.

I really enjoyed this book overall and I would recommend it to anyone, although because of the strong female characters and the romantic aspects of the book I view it more as women's fiction. But maybe I'm being sexist there and I'm sure plenty of fellas would enjoy it too!

This was a NetGalley ARC, which I requested based on the whimsical sounding synopsis – I know, that sounds weird, given that it’s about her sister killing her boyfriends, but it just sounded that way to me! It’s set in Nigeria, which I don’t think I’ve read before, and it was a refreshing backdrop to the story. It follows Korode, sister to Ayoola who, as the synopsis states, ends up killing all her boyfriends. All the characters in this story are fairly unlikable – which I think is the whole point. Even Korode, who is the long-suffering clean-up squad to her more self-absorbed sister, doesn’t act in way that makes you be on her side. I felt for her in how she gets treated being the older, less attractive sister, but part of me wanted her to just grow a backbone and leave her sister to clean up her own messes. Ayoola is frustrating to read, but also quite believable. At least it’s equal opportunity unlikable – it goes for both the male and female characters! Even this supposedly great guy becomes a patronizing bastard once the pretty girl shows up. I liked the style of the story, written in very short chapters and snippets, with flashbacks filling out the backstory and with that the motivation for the sisters. It’s very much deals with themes of judgement based on appearances rather than accomplishments or how they treat the people around them. Overall an enjoyable read.

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a wonderful, dark meditation on the relationship between sisters. What do you do when your sister has killed three boyfriends and now has her sights set on your crush? Fans of serial killer psychology dramas and anyone with a sister will enjoy this short novel. It is tightly plotted, the action always moving forward, even when the narrator, Korede, has flashbacks to the past.

Love and loyalty – the ties that bind

Set in Nigeria, this novel centres on the relationship between two sisters, Korede, the elder, and Ayoola. From a good and prosperous family, Korede is a dedicated nurse, while Ayoola has her own fashion business. Ayoola is also achingly beautiful, where her sister is larger, darker and has harder features.

When Ayoola phones Korede with the words ‘I killed him’, Korede has no option but to act to sort out her sister’s mess and to protect her from the consequences of her crime. Again. Together they clean up and then dump the body in the river.

Somehow, with this being Nigeria, their actions do not seem as dangerous as if the novel were set in Italy, say; in our Western eyes, Nigeria is a dangerous and corrupt place, and such behaviour seems less shocking.

While Ayoola sails through life, mostly untouched by what she has done, Korede has a conscience and confesses her worries to an unconscious patient whom she visits. He is unlikely to wake up and so she feels the sanctuary of the confessional. She also harbours the fact that she is in love with Dr Tade Otumu, who does not seem to return the feelings.

As the novel continues the body count rises, but Ayoola is a picture of innocence. I did wonder quite why Korede was so willing to protect her sister, but of course, she has been pulled in and is now complicit.

There is not a lot of suspense in this novel which seems to unfurl in a matter of fact fashion. Korede fears there will be more victims but is unable to bring herself to do anything about it.

The conclusion is surprising, and reveals more of the sisters' backstory, giving the reader a very different take on what has gone before.

An intriguing read and impressive first novel.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

#MySisterThe SerialKiller is an enjoyable novella about a sister who kills and a sister who cleans up the mess left behind.

When the beautiful & deadly Ayoola sets her sights on a colleague who Korede has long been in love with, will Korede be able to save him without exposing their secrets?

I enjoyed learning a little about Nigerian culture through this book, but ultimately the bonds of sisterhood are universal. Will Ayoola get away with her crimes? When will she kill again? Will Korede be able to protect her little sister from her own actions?

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Korede is called out to help her sister who has killed her boyfriend in self defence she claims. They hide the body and clean up but this is not the first time Korede has cleaned up after her sister. Then her sister falls for Tade a doctor who works with Korede and someone Korede loves. The question is where Korede's loyalties will lie.

This is quite a different read. It's an interesting take on murder told from the person who helps clean up after but was never involved. It makes you question a lot as to whether you would do what she did to protect her sister. There are serious moments but in many ways it's a lighter look at the situation.

I liked Korede and really felt for her but did not like her sister at all which I think in many ways is the point. A different read but a good one.

This book is exactly what it says on the tin. Her sister is a serial killer.
What is entertaining, humorous, thrilling, shocking and heartwarming is essentially a tale of love between two sisters.
This was easy to read and exactly the length it should of been.
Although I doubt it will stick with me forever this was a brilliant book and I loved every second of reading it.