AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite read by Weruche Opia ★★★★☆

Korede, is called upon to help dispose of the body and she is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favourite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her 'missing' boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.
The only confidante Korede has is a coma patient at the Lagos hospital where she works, which is the only place she can go to escape Ayoola. It is also where she can see the man she loves, a handsome and thoughtful doctor named Tade. She dreams of the day when he will realize they're perfect for each other. But one day the capricious Ayoola shows up to the hospital uninvited and Tade takes notice. When he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and what she will do about it.
Interwoven with Korede, Ayoola, and Tade’s love triangle is the story of Korede and Ayoola’s upbringing, which is shadowed by the memory of their father, a cruel man who met a tragic and accidental death.

Overall Rated: 5/5
Narration Rated: 5/5
Story Rated: 4/5

This is the second Nigerian novel that I’ve read. The first was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe back in 2010 as part of my A Levels.

I badly wanted to read this book, after seeing the positive reviews for Goodreads, but my local library only had one copy with apparently ten people waiting and I maxed out on my library card. Good thing RBDigital was there to save the day.

Originally titled Thicker Than Water, the story itself is witty, contemporary and dark. It’s a terrific story about two polar opposite sisters. Responsible, resilient, Korede is a Nigerian nurse in Lagos, who has to clean up after her beautiful and irresponsible younger sister Ayoola. Claiming self-defence, Ayoola’s third boyfriend Femi is dead, as well as the previous boyfriends who died in similar circumstances. Korede is resentful of how much Ayoola can get away with anything, even murder.

The story goes back and forth from when they were children to adulthood, intertwining the reasons behind their messed-up lives. Throughout the story, you wonder what, why and especially who is to blame for the body count and by the end of the story, you understand why Korede cleans up, time and again, after her spoilt, self-centred, knife-wielding younger sibling.

Braithwaite has written a deliciously deadly debut that deserves the hype and credit. It’s fun as it is frightening, sharp, clever and full of deadpan wit. Unexcepted was the observations about social media, men and what they want, and women who see right through them. Not once was the word psychopath’ uttered yet we know one of them is.

Spoken flawlessly, I thoroughly enjoyed the narration, especially the fact it’s narrated by a Nigerian, so no whitewashing malarkey, whatsoever. Opia has a steady pace and her voice is soothing, emotional with a real knack of delivering different male and female voices which I had no difficulty differentiating.

The narration gave this book life and I was absorbed into the tale. It’s told in short 76 chapters, each varying from one to about six minutes. Although the duration is less than five hours, it took me longer to listen to because of life not wanting me to relax.

Maybe if I had read the book this may be rated as a 4 star. but it’s a full five, seeing that I can’t really pick a fault with narration. If I can get my hands on the book, I’ll be sure to read it.

If you’re looking for a story about redemption, you might need to skip this one. Highly recommended to those wanting to read a book about sisterly bonds and campy humour set in Nigeria.

Written By: Oyinkan Braithwaite
Narrated By: Weruche Opia
Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks
Date: January 2019
Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense
Started from March 6th to March 16th.