This book was one from the work book club – fuelled by the buzz surrounding it at the time I was excited to read Braithwaite’s dark novel.
For a book that offers the proposition of a manic killer, the deaths in this book are actually quite minimal. The title is correct about one thing, Korede’s sister is a killer; Ayoola has a bad track record and a lot of baggage. This baggage is unusually carried by her older sister, a classic trope of the sibling covering for the younger sister but to the absolute extreme.
Korede’s approach is as clinical as her nurse’s profession, practical and to the point she gets things done. Ayoola on the other hand is too focused on her image and Instagram page than being caught. Here things start to get messy as there’s a fight over Korede’s crush, Tade, the hot doctor.
I enjoyed the beginning of the book the most, it was a strong start in medias res into the gruesome aftermath of murder/self-defence. I wish the book had a little more development, it seemed too easy that Ayoola and Korede’s damaged childhood and abusive father had left them damaged. But, for a book written in a month, I was impressed by Oyinkan Braithwaite’s short sharp writing style, one for fans of dry and dark humour.
I raced through this book because of the chapters and particularly enjoyed the chapter titles, which added to the mystery ‘Roses’, ‘Research’ and ‘Friend’. It was also interesting and amazing to have two female protagonists (albeit flawed) driving the action of this book. Ayoola acted instinctively, and maybe we can learn something from her. Without the murdering element, she takes advantage of the men she dates and gets rid of them when she wants – seems ideal!
One plot point really got to me, (SPOILER ALERT), that Muhtar the comatose patient who Korede has been confessing to somehow wakes up, having retained all incriminating information. I would love to get a medical opinion on this but it seemed like too much of an easy plot function. Maybe Muhtar and Korede’s relationship could’ve been explored more without him knowing her past. After all, Korede feels extremely close to Muhtar at this point and so, the power imbalance and emotional weight is in her court for once. But, for the purposes of creating a sense of peril and an ultimatum, Muhtar is left as a mysterious man with an incredible memory.
There was a slight frustration in that neither character appears to grow throughout the book, there is a character arch that I willed from one of them. I wanted one of them to crack, more murder, more gore, but what we were left with was a chilling reality of sisterhood, made immobile through manipulation. Blood is definitely thicker than water in this novel.
Mood: read when you need something easy to pick up and get hooked on
Read again: in a couple of years
Photo credit: Kat Wilcox
I HAD THE BLUES 