Book review: My Sister, The Serial Killer

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By Oyinkan Braithwaite
Published by Atlantic

 Synopsis: 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…

 How did this book end up in my hands? It didn’t. Well, not in a physical form anyway. I joined this book’s serialisation on The Pigeonhole and enjoyed both the narrative and the other readers’ comments.

 Was it a page-turner? Totally! I could have easily have read this book in a day if I hadn’t had to wait a whole 24 hours to get the next instalment via email.

 Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? I don’t know why but I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it at first. I wondered whether it was going to be more of a thriller than a dark comedy and I wasn’t in the mood for a proper thriller then. From this point of view, it exceeded my expectations.

 Did I like the ending? [no spoilers] Yes, I found it perfectly fitting. I am not giving anything away if I say that one of the other readers on The Pigeonhole asked ‘Who is this man?’ at the end of the last instalment. And if you read the book, you will know that it doesn’t matter and that will be the brilliance of it.

 Three words to describe it. Funny. Dark. Hot.

 Do I like the cover? Yes, I love the bold colours. They are a perfect fit!

 Have I read any other books by the same author? No, I believe this is the author’s debut novel. I’d love to read more of her work.

 Will I be recommending this book? A million times yes! This novel will take you on a rollercoaster ride. You will cheer, worry and get angry with the characters… and all the while you won’t be able to stop quietly chuckling to yourself. Besides, without launching into endless descriptions (not that there’s anything wrong with endless descriptions), the author is able to transport her readers to Nigeria with a few brushes of her pen. It’s amazing!

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