Talk about a messed up family dynamic. The thing is though, this was the most realistic depiction of a sisterhood that I’ve read in a long time.
I feel like I should clarify that neither my sister nor myself have killed a man or covered up a murder haha.
This story is about two sisters, Korede and Ayoola. Ayoola the younger, beauitful sister who got everything she wanted and never had to suffer the consequences of her actions; Korede the older, plain sister who has picked up after her sister, paid for her sister’s errors, who constantly lives in Ayoola’s shadow. Normal, if not upsetting, but there’s one additional trait that Ayoola has that Korede alone bears the burden of: Ayoola is a serial killer.
Told in vignettes, the story unfolds of Korede, her life and what it has been like to always watch after Ayoola, clean up after her, protect her. Korede keeps everything in order, her car, her room, her job. Korede has a crush on a handsome doctor she works with (Tade) and would even admit to loving him (only to herself, of course) and then one day her sister comes in and he sees her. Too many things happen at once, Ayoola taking something that’s Korede’s once again, Tade falling for Ayoola’s beauty, Tade putting himself at risk of being murdered by Ayoola.
We follow this story, nervous about what may happen because of the first murder that takes place at the beginning of the book, and nervous about what will happen between Ayoola and Tade. At times, I felt really annoyed at Korede for not standing up for herself, for not putting her foot down about things, but given that this story is so short I found that the overall character arc was more satisfying because we saw her behave that way. When it’s drawn out over several chapters in longer books, I find that I am less willing to deal with this type of character.
Ayoola I think is universally disliked. Even as the younger sibling myself, I’m aware of the things I got away with, but I never had it as “good” as Ayoola. I paid for my mistakes, ok? I have the emo phase to prove it haha. Ayoola is selfish without even realizing how selfish she is, she’s callous and careless. She is borderline so dislikable that you wonder how Korede could even help her. But then you remember that they’re sisters, and I know my sister and I have helped each other get away with things before, not murder, obviously.
This is such a quick read that I can’t not recommend it. It’s suspenseful, not thrilling so keep that in mind when you pick it up. I think this is a good distinction for suspense versus thriller. A thriller has you on the edge of your seat, scared but eager for the next move, a suspense has you leaning back, anxious of what other things may happen. The audio book is just over 4 hours long so while you’re bored at home during quarantine, why not just put on the audiobook (it’s available through the library!) while you do some chores? It’ll definitely make washing the dishes or cleaning the bathroom more entertaining.
Just Read It 