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A review by candidcopywriter
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
When you see the name, "My Sister, The Serial Killer", you think it's a crime thriller. When you read the blurb, you think, "Okay! Dark humour and crime - it's a comic slasher fic!"
Well, for me, it was neither of those things. I found it to be more of a...family drama with a lot of sadness and tragedy, themes of child abuse, sad family history, psychopathy, and more. I liked Korede as a character. She was insecure, not-very-beautiful, and always lacking compared to her sister. Ayoola, the murderous sister, was more of a sociopath (psychopath?) whose feelings weren't explored at all in the book. We never find out, till the end, why she's killing people.
I liked the writing - it was fast-paced, lucid, and interesting. I also liked Korede's character development. The depths to her personality were evident. I loved that the two sisters took centre stage throughout the story , with boys mostly just coming and going.
What I didn't like was the ambiguous ending (I've always hated those), the lack of character development of Ayoola, and, well, the fact that I had expected something a little funny or even thrilling, but what I got was messy family drama (as if we don't have enough of that!)
A couple of warnings to whoever wants to read this book:
1. It is NOT a thriller - it's a family drama.
2. It's in first person present tense - the author makes it work, but I know some people get uncomfortable with that style.
3. It has an ambiguous ending. This might technically be a spoiler, I know...but I also know that such endings can spoil the entire book for some people (me included), so it's something you should know.
Well, for me, it was neither of those things. I found it to be more of a...family drama with a lot of sadness and tragedy, themes of child abuse, sad family history, psychopathy, and more. I liked Korede as a character. She was insecure, not-very-beautiful, and always lacking compared to her sister. Ayoola, the murderous sister, was more of a sociopath (psychopath?) whose feelings weren't explored at all in the book. We never find out, till the end, why she's killing people.
I liked the writing - it was fast-paced, lucid, and interesting. I also liked Korede's character development. The depths to her personality were evident. I loved that the two sisters took centre stage throughout the story , with boys mostly just coming and going.
What I didn't like was the ambiguous ending (I've always hated those), the lack of character development of Ayoola, and, well, the fact that I had expected something a little funny or even thrilling, but what I got was messy family drama (as if we don't have enough of that!)
A couple of warnings to whoever wants to read this book:
1. It is NOT a thriller - it's a family drama.
2. It's in first person present tense - the author makes it work, but I know some people get uncomfortable with that style.
3. It has an ambiguous ending. This might technically be a spoiler, I know...but I also know that such endings can spoil the entire book for some people (me included), so it's something you should know.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, and Body shaming