“Ayoola summons me with these words – Korede, I killed him.

I had hoped I would never hear those words again.”

Right from the opening lines, My Sister The Serial Killer punches you in the gut, over and over again. A tale of two sisters in Lagos, Nigeria, Braithwaite’s debut novel flits from drama to family saga, always comic noir, with brazen flashes of “she did NOT just say that”.

The cast of characters centres around the narrator Korede and her younger sister Ayoola. Korede is every stereotype of the oldest child - steady, responsible, bound by sense of obligation to fix the messes left behind by others. She is portrayed as plainer and less interesting than her younger sister. Whether the glamorous, alluring and manipulative Ayoola is ‘only’ an extreme example of the spoilt and pampered younger child, or in fact a dangerous psychopath, is one which is left to the reader to decide. As Korede helps tidy up the bloodbath and dispose of her sister’s lover’s body, we begin to see the lengths that each of the pair will go to.

My Sister The Serial Killer

Atlantic Books, 2019

Oyinkan Braithwaite

“Her relationships tend to end badly”

Through the book we are introduced to the various men who have lost their lives while in Ayoola’s vicinity. The single-word chapter titles set up the mundane and villainous deeds which will follow. Bleach. Instagram. School.

We learn of Korede and Ayoola’s abusive father through an interspersed series of flashbacks - and here, perhaps, is where we begin to understand, if not condone, how Ayoola has become who she is.

“You’re a big sister now, Korede. And big sisters look after little sisters”

Korede’s indulgence of Ayoola’s misdeeds is occasionally mystifying, often frustrating, but always a paragon of sibling loyalty. Korede herself feels deeply - about a coma patient in her care who she talks to in the quiet hours of her night shifts as a nurse, and about Tade, one of the doctors she works alongside. As the inevitable begins to happen and Tade falls for Ayoola, Korede tries to warn him off - and is told “you’re supposed to be on her side … she told me that you treat her like she is a monster”. As an oldest sibling, I felt the sting of the injustice keenly!

“She will always have me and I will always have her”

Korede shoulders all the burdensome guilt that Ayoola should feel - but the book never strays into predictable caricature. Like a needy toddler, Ayoola pushes Korede’s boundaries, trying to find a breaking point. But no-one is all good or all evil, in this book nor in real life. Family relationships are messy and complex, as well as often the source of our greatest joys. My Sister, The Serial Killer takes us to places that most families will never experience, but the emotions, frustrations and loyalties will be familiar to anyone who grew up with siblings around them. For an irreverent, bleak, yet joyful look at what families can do to and be for each other, you can’t go far wrong with this incredible debut novel.