The third time that Korede receives a phone call for help after her sister Ayoola has killed another date, she knows she has a problem. Ayoola claims the killings are self-defence but she also takes a knife with her every time.
Full of dark humour and pithy observations, My Sister, the Serial Killer tells the story of two sisters - the beautiful and vacuous Ayoola and the hard working angular nurse Korede. Cool, weird, funny and tragic; it’s not your usual crime or family dynamics novel.
Loyal sister Korede helps clean up and get rid of the bodies, and voices her worries only to a patient in a persistent coma at the hospital where she is head nurse. Korede is also secretly in love with a handsome doctor and is horrified when the doctor meets and becomes besotted with the beautiful Ayoola. Her other problem is that the patient in a coma has regained consciousness and remembers everything that Korede has been telling him about her sister. Just how far can sisterly bonds go?
Set in the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, a strong sense of place is apparent, with corruption, traffic jams, and the juxtaposition of traditional culture in a modern city. An underlying history of inter-generational violence is explored, with flashbacks to the two young women’s tyrant of a father.
My Sister the Serial Killer is deceptively simple with lots of clever undertones. Themes of family loyalty and the halo effect of beauty are examined. This first novel is unique and engrossing, and has won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel as well as being long listed for the Man Booker Prize and short listed for the Women's Fiction Prize.
Reviewed by Katrina
Catalogue link: My Sister, The Serial Killer
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