My Sister, the Serial Killer

My Sister, the Serial Killer
First edition
AuthorOyinkan Braithwaite
LanguageEnglish
GenreThriller
PublisherDoubleday Books
Publication date
20 November 2018
Publication placeNigeria
ISBN9780385544238

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a 2018 thriller novel by Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite.[1] Braithwaite's debut novel was originally published in Nigeria as an e-book with the title Thicker Than Water in 2017 before being released in the United States by Doubleday Books on 20 November 2018.

Plot

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In Lagos, Nigeria, Korede is a nurse in a close relationship with her younger sister, Ayoola. Ayoola is the more beautiful, favored sister, and possibly sociopathic. For the third time in a row, Ayoola has stabbed her boyfriend to death, supposedly in self-defense. Like the previous times, Korede helps dispose of the body and clean away the evidence. Her practicality and concern keep Ayoola from acting suspiciously about her “missing” boyfriend, such as by posting to social media when she should be mourning.

Korede feels unappreciated as she constantly dreads that they will be caught and that Ayoola will kill again, confiding in none but a comatose patient in the hospital she works at. She is in love with Tade, a kind, handsome doctor who does not notice her affection. However, upon meeting Ayoola, he is immediately enamored with her and they begin dating. Korede fears that Tade will be Ayoola's next victim and must reckon with what she is willing to do for her sister.

Reception

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My Sister, the Serial Killer was described by Deadline as a "darkly comedic story, buzzed-about in publishing circles."[2] According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 20 critic reviews with 9 being "rave" and 10 being "positive" and 1 being "mixed".[3] In Books in the Media, a site that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.05 out of 5) from the site which was based on 10 critic reviews.[4] On Bookmarks Magazine Jan/Feb 2019 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews.[5]

The novel won the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller,[6] the 2019 Amazon Publishing Reader's Award for Best Debut Novel,[7] the 2019 Anthony Award for Best First Novel,[8] and the 2020 British Book Award for Crime & Thriller Book of the Year.[9] The novel was longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize and was the second-highest best-selling title on the list as of July 2019, with 13,052 units sold according to Nielsen BookScan.[10]

My Sister, the Serial Killer has been praised by The New York Times,[11][12] The Washington Post,[13] Marie Claire and authors Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ and Edgar Cantero.[14] In 2018, the novel was considered for a movie adaptation by the producers of Baby Driver.[15]

References

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  1. ^ O'Grady, Carrie (4 January 2019). "My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite – a morbidly funny slashfest". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Oyinkan Braithwaite On Waiting For A Dream". The Lady's Room. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  3. ^ "My Sister, the Serial Killer". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  4. ^ "My Sister, the Serial Killer Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  5. ^ "My Sister, the Serial Killer". Bookmarks Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Congratulations to the Winners of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes". Book Marks. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  7. ^ Mansfield, Katie (30 September 2019). "Rankin, Braithwaite and Killing Eve win Amazon Publishing Readers' Awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  8. ^ "ANNOUNCING THE 2019 ANTHONY AWARD WINNERS". CrimeReads. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  9. ^ Peterson, Angeline (6 July 2020). "My Sister, The Serial Killer Wins Crime Fiction Book of the Year". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie nominated for 2019 Booker Prize | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  11. ^ Sehgal, Parul (14 November 2018). "Helping Out Family Is Taken to Extremes in 'My Sister, the Serial Killer'". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  12. ^ Rocco, Fiammetta (9 January 2019). "In This Novel, One Sister Is a Nurse. The Other Is a Murderer". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  13. ^ Michaud, Jon (19 November 2018). "A woman on a killing spree gets some help from her enabling sister". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  14. ^ Mordi, Mellisa (April 2019). "16 Questions With Oyinkan Braithwaite". guardian.ng. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  15. ^ BellaNaija.com (27 March 2018). "Oyinkan Braithwaite's novel "My Sister, the Serial Killer" to be made into a Movie". BellaNaija. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
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