Book Clubs

 My Sister, The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

 Korede, a disciplined nurse, seamlessly manages her hectic work life. However, her life takes a dark turn when a phone call interrupts her dinner. It is her sister, Ayoola, calling to seek assistance after another deadly episode. This marks the third time Ayoola has hurt someone in, quote, “self-defense.” Unfortunately, this pattern of violence has become normal for Korede, and despite her reservations, she rushes to help. 

Ayoola’s beauty is striking, and it adds layers of complexity to her personality. She blends charm and a carefree attitude, often leaving chaos in her wake. As the younger sister, she has always lived in the limelight. Korede, in contrast, feels overshadowed by her sister’s allure. While Ayoola runs wild in her romantic escapades, Korede cleans up the literal blood left behind. 

The bond between the sisters reflects a complicated history marred by their father’s abusive nature. Flashbacks reveal their troubled childhood, showcasing their mother’s ineffectiveness and their father’s dangerous patriarchy. These familial dynamics add depth to Korede’s understanding of loyalty and guilt. Yet, as the elder sister, she wrestles with the moral implications of her actions to protect Ayoola. 

 Growing up gifted and working-class poor in the foothills of the Ozarks, Monica and Darci became fast friends. The girls bonded over a shared love of reading and learning, even as they navigated the challenges of their declining town and tumultuous family lives--broken marriages, alcohol abuse, and shuttered stores and factories. They pored over the giant map in their middle school classroom, tracing their fingers over the world that awaited them, vowing to escape. In the end, Monica left Clinton for college and fulfilled her dreams, but Darci, along with many in their circle of friends, did not.

Years later, working as a journalist covering poverty, Monica discovered what she already intuitively knew about the women in Arkansas: Their life expectancy had steeply declined--the sharpest such fall in a century. She returned to Clinton to report the story, trying to understand the societal factors driving the disturbing trends in the rural south. As she reconnects with Darci, she finds that her once talented and ambitious best friend is now a statistic: a single mother of two, addicted to meth and prescription drugs, jobless and nearly homeless. Painfully aware that Darci's fate could have been hers, she retraces the moments of decision and chance in each of their lives that led such similar women toward two such different destinies.