Thriller Annotation

          

Author: Oyinkan Braithwaite               

Title: My Sister the Serial Killer

Genre: Thriller

Publication Date: 2017

Number of Pages: 226

Geographical Setting: Lagos, Nigeria

Time Period: Present Day

 

 

 

 

Plot Summary: The story is narrated by one of the main characters, Korede. Korede is the older sister of Ayoola. Ayoola is the serial killer in this story. The story starts off with both sisters cleaning up the murder scene of Ayoola’s then boyfriend, Femi. The story goes on to talk about how this is a repetitive occurrence where Ayoola murders her boyfriends and Korede is always there to protect her. As each scene develops, there are flashbacks to Korede’s childhood where she mirrors the feelings in that particular scene to a childhood memory, mostly negative. After killing Femi, Ayoola moves on to a new boyfriend, whom Korede has always loved, Tade. Ayoola cheats on Tade on a trip to Dubai yet Tade is still blindly in love with her. Korede gets jealous and cannot contain her emotions and tells Tade that her sister is not all that she seems. Tade refuses to believe this but one day has an argument with Ayoola and stabs her ironically out of self-defence, knowing she can be violent. The story ends with Korede still defending her younger sister to the police and never “coming clean” about all the murders her sister has committed.

 

Thriller Appeals:

 

Characterization – “Authors are quick to fictionalize real people and put them into their novels. They are equally quick to populate their worlds with citizens who never existed at all” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2018). Braithwaite depicts the characters of both Korede and Ayoola exceptionally well, as if we know them in real life:

“I had laid everything out on the tray in preparation—the fork was to the left of the plate, the knife to the right…folded the napkin in to the shape of a crown and placed it at the centre of the plate” (Braithwaite, 2018). Here, Braithwaite is depicting Korede as a perfectionist, and meticulous person. These are traits that many of us, or people we know, can relate to.

“I met Muhtar’s wife once; she reminded me of Ayoola. It wasn’t that her looks were memorable, but she seemed completely oblivious to all but her own needs” (Braithwaite, 2018). Here, Braithwaite depicts the personality of someone who is both vain and ignorant to the world around her.

Another creepy quote: “The knife is important to me, Korede. It is all I have left of him” (Braithwaite, 2018). This shows Ayoola’s serial-killer like personality- lack of remorse or guilt and almost a sensation seeking trait. 

 

Relationships—"Some readers enjoy reading about a particular type of relationship. It could be the friendship that exists between two women” (NoveList). In the novel, many relationships are discussed. The main one is between the two sisters, Korede and Ayoola. Ayoola is a remorseless serial killer who wants to post an Instagram selfie shortly after killing her boyfriend. Her delusion of her being the prime suspect is almost humourous. Korede is protective over her sister, as she has been taught to do so from a young age by her mother. Korede has a guilty conscious throughout the novel. She talks about seeing her patient, Muhtar, who is in a combo, who reminds her of Femi (Ayoolas dead boyfriend). This guilt follows her throughout the story. The two sisters are polar opposites yet bound together through loyalty and strong family values.

 

A flashback scene in the story talks about when the two sisters were little and “together they were safe” (Braithwaite, 2018) because sleeping together calmed them and helped get them through their trauma. Their father was a horrible man who once made Ayoola strip in front of them to shame her for bringing a male friend to the home. This ties into abuse and relationships in this novel as their father was abusive to their mother growing up. Ayoola’s personality almost mirrors her father because she also grows up treating the opposite sex unfairly and disregards them by killing them if they argue, become physically abusive and therefore become a threat to her. This relationship she had with her father was toxic, and it carries on to her life as an adult with her own relationships.

 

 

Time Frame— "Understanding whether a book's time frame is merely background or a major force in the work is necessary to provide quality readers' advisory service. Skilled advisors are also aware of the fact that some readers enjoy reading books which take place in the past while others do not find these books engaging" (Novelist). 

The novel has chapters that flashback to Korede remembering her childhood. The feelings expressed in these flashbacks mirror the feelings she is experiencing at that time in the novel. This helps the reader truly understand Korede's character and shows that childhood trauma carries on into adulthood- something Braithwaite stresses throughout the novel.

 

“They often take place in a short time frame…In these books, we sense the menace early on” (Saricks, 2009). Right from the get go, the novel starts off with Ayoola and Korede in the washroom cleaning up Femi’s blood. This shows how the story goes straight to the gruesomeness and sets the tone right away.

 

3 terms that best describe this book: Abuse, unfair, loyalty

 

Read-Alikes for this book (generated via NoveList):

 

1.    When No One is Watching—Alyssa Cole

2.    My Pet Serial Killer—Michael J. Seidlinger

3.    The Bandit Queens—Parini Shroff

 

 

 

References

 

Braithwaite, O. (2018). My sister the serial killer. New York: Doubleday. 

 

NoveList Editorial & St. Louis Public Library Staff (n.d.) The appeal of books. NoveList. [Files -

    Canvas]

 

Saricks, J. (2016). At leisure with joyce saricks: suspenseful thrillers and thrilling suspense. 

    Booklist, 112(17), 17. [Academic Search Complete]

 

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2018). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction : Third edition.  

    American Library Association.