By Oyinkan Braithwaite
Book hangover
Book hang-o-ver (hang-oh-ver)
noun
1. The inability to start a new book because you are still living in the old book’s world
2. The inability to function at work/school because you were up all night binge-reading
If you’re not familiar with the term “book hangover,” you will understand by the time you finish My Sister, the Serial Killer. It snatched me up right from page one. I read this in a little over 3 hours because I was consumed! Listen, the title gives you a lot of information…so it’s not like you’re spending the book trying to figure out who did it. You’re spending the book wondering if she’s going to get caught. Is she going to kill again before the end of the book? Is her sister going to turn her in? Will her sister be in trouble too, because she obviously knows? It was really intriguing and even a little bit heartbreaking.
Korede is a hardworking nurse at a hospital in Lagos. Her family runs in high society circles, but everything is not what it seems behind closed doors. Ayoola, the “beautiful” sister, is wild and unpredictable…and also has a bad habit of killing all her boyfriends. Korede comes to her sister’s aid each time. But when Ayoola sets her sights on Tade, Korede’s long time crush and co-worker, Korede finds herself torn.
This story is crazy, y’all! Ayoola is, without a doubt, a sociopath. Korede is a control freak. They clash, but they support each other. It’s such a rich complicated sibling relationship, and that is really the focus more than the girls’ romantic interests. The storytelling is unique in that each chapter is not necessarily in chronological order, however, you never feel lost even when you’re reading something out of order. The way Oyinkan chose to reveal information to the reader was genius! I was totally caught up in the flashbacks and memories. The characterization was odd to me at first. We're so familiar with Korede and Ayoola, but then I found myself feeling more connected to a coma patient than to Tade - the main point of conflict for these sisters. But, it was brilliant! If you read it, you'll understand.
When I finished I couldn’t even pick up another book. I was just stuck thinking about that ending and those sisters’ jacked up relationship. Somebody call HBO or Netflix, because this would make a totally binge-worthy series. Major book hangover, y’all! I recommend it if you like thrillers, or family dramas. And you can read it in a weekend, it’s not a huge time commitment.
Purchase My Sister, the Serial Killer from Amazon.
Comentários