Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

March group read discussion is open for My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, for a book by a WOC. The discussion leader this month is Trish.

Please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot related surprises.

Posts here should only be about this book.

Hello all. Bear with me that this is the first time I've lead one of these! I'm one of those people who reads books straight through, than a couple of chapters a week

I guess a few start-up questions.

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?

Personally, I'd never heard of it until the voting for the monthly book. But then, I'm not really a big follower of book prizes. I guess, if I were, I would have realised how many it had been nominated for!

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?

For me, it was the GR description, which is intreguing. It probably had me at "darkly comic", and definitely had me by the end! So much so, that I volunteered to lead the discussion :-)

3. What are your expectations before you start?

I'll admit, my first thought is that it may be in the same "vein" as the Dexter series. But I guess I'll see as I read it.
When I looked at the description, I thought it sounded intreguing. Going into it, I'm wondering if its going to be in a similar vein to the Dexter books.

I'll come up with a few more once I've read it!

I read this book for the Tournament of Books last year and it was my favorite. I was so excited when it came back as a zombie pick and won the tournament in the end. Very clever writing; I'd like to read more by this author.

I've started reading the book yesterday and am at about 50%. I too usually read books straight through and this is a short one, so I'll probably finish by Friday.

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?
I first saw it on the listopia. When I found out it was chosen for a group read I desided to wait till March to read it :)

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?
I think the title combined with the cover caught my attention. After I read the description I immediately added it to my plan for the year. I didn't know it was nominated/has won book awards - I don't really seek out books with awards, but it does fit the prompt.

3. What are your expectations before you start?
My expections were, that it would be a funny book to read, a bit light-hearted

I started and finished this book yesterday. It was a quick read since I liked the way it was written and the characters were interesting (and also the book was relatively short).

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?
In a way yes, I don't remember how I came across this title but I know I saw briefly that it was a monthly read. I searched for it in my library and it was there so I decided to pick it up.

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?
The title caught my attention. That's pretty much the only reason. I rarely read blurbs or descriptions before reading a book.

3. What are your expectations before you start?
I only expected it to be interesting, since the title totally got me.

I read this shortly after it came out.


1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?
Yes. I can’t remember how I first heard of it. I think it was on The Millions Most Anticipated list?


2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?
It was the title. I had to read a book with a crazy title like that!!!


3. What are your expectations before you start?
I had very high expectations. I expected a page-turning thriller with dark humor.

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?
I know it had caught my eye - maybe in the Goodreads Choice Awards?

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?
So, when it came up as the monthly pick, I did think 'oh yeah, I had wanted to read that'. But then I looked and I hadn't actually put it into my want to read GR pile. So, definitely wouldn't have started it for awhile if not for this.

3. What are your expectations before you start?
So even though the cover is eye-catching and stuck in my head, I didn't know much about it at all. I just read the plot description now and was a little surprised - for some reason, I had thought that the serial killer sister wasn't literal. So now I really don't know what to expect, but I just got notice that my library hold is in, so I'm excited to get into it!

Well, I found that my feeling towards this book as a whole, and the POV character, Korede, in particular, changed as I read it, and not for the better.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else is feeling this?

I finished it today, I'm not sure how I feel about it, it's a bit strange?
I agree with you, Trish - I don't particularly like Korede or agree with her actions/decisions.

I listened on audio, and found myself constantly wondering how various names were spelled! I was enjoying it until the end, which I found kind of anticlimactic and weird. Only ended up giving it 3 stars, but I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more on the page. Humor can depend a lot on the voicing, and I didn't really feel like anything was ever funny.

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?

Oh yes. It was talked about a lot.


2. What made you decide to read this book?

I saw lots of people enjoyed it, I liked the cover and title, and it was not from North America or Europe. I had a copy for a little while when it was announced as my book club's book for last month.


3. What are your expectations before you start?

I thought I would enjoy it.

Trish wrote: "Well, I found that my feeling towards this book as a whole, and the POV character, Korede, in particular, changed as I read it, and not for the better.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else is fe..."


I didn't like how needy and immature Korede seemed.

Usually I don't like open-ended endings, but apparently I liked this one, because I wrote this in my review:

I thought the story would go one way, but instead it went another way. I really liked the open-ended ending, it reminded me of The Twilight Zone, where you just know what's going to happen next after the curtain falls.

I guess I thought they ending was so heavily implied that it was a given, and not open-ended at all.

Trish wrote: "Well, I found that my feeling towards this book as a whole, and the POV character, Korede, in particular, changed as I read it, and not for the better.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else is fe..."

Both my husband and I read it. By the end of the book, he was pretty frustrated with the characters, especially Korede, and it ruined the book for him.
Although I too was frustrated with her, I still really liked the book. I thought it was a smart satire and an indictment on (view spoiler)[ social media "influencers" and how society equates beauty with goodness and tends to give beautiful people a free pass to be jerks (or serial killers). (hide spoiler)]

So, as I probably hinted before, I started off really enjoying this. It was quirky, absurd (in a way) and I liked the POV voice.

However, by the end I was more disturbed than amused. Korede's actions towards Tade in the last few chapters (view spoiler)[when she basically threw him under the bus, even though she knew that he was most likely the victim, not Ayoola (hide spoiler)] made me angry, and I felt it lacked a satisfying conclusion (view spoiler)[i.e. Ayoola actually paying for what she'd done, rather than it setting up for her to do the exact same thing again (hide spoiler)].

I ended up rating it three stars, but that was really four for the first half, and two for the second!

Trish wrote: "So, as I probably hinted before, I started off really enjoying this. It was quirky, absurd (in a way) and I liked the POV voice.

However, by the end I was more disturbed than amused. Korede's act..."


That's interesting and I think different reactions say a lot about the readers! Apparently I have a very loose moral code hahaha!! (view spoiler)[Putting the rest of this in spoiler tags just in case ... I rarely like redemption stories and I don't always need to see the person pay for their actions - just as in ... uh, ... some other popular books that I probably shouldn't name because that would also be a spoiler for THOSE books ... I was fine with the serial killer getting away with it here. I think it's really interesting to see people get caught in a sort of downward spiral, in which they start out thinking of themselves as "good" people, but they give in and give in and give in until eventually they are just as "bad" as the person influencing them. Similar to the storyline in a Highsmith book that I guess I should also not name - dammit it's hard to talk about the ending because I can't compare to other books' endings because that is spoilery!!!!! Anyway, I like what it says about how flexible a moral code can be, and how easy it is for even a regular person to get sucked into some seriously bad stuff. (hide spoiler)]

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?

I recognize the cover, but I didn't actually know what it was about until now!

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?

Mostly this group, hahah. But I do think it sounds interesting and I'm excited to get started (my copy won't be here for another 1-2 days).

3. What are your expectations before you start?

I didn't really have any, but the few posts here from people already finished have me a bit worried!

1. I didn’t think I had heard of the book but than went I went to make it currently reading I found it in my want to read set so...

2. I read it because I am going to try and read as many of the read alongs as possible. I fear I won’t participate much in the discussions I get to side tracked and forget to check in.

3. I thought it was going to be a memoir I don’t read blu a typically.

I enjoyed to book but did like the books ending. Kinda felt like the author got tired and just wrote the end like an elementary school kid would do.

1. I had not heard of this book prior to it being nominated for our monthly reading group. But this is why I love book clubs! You get exposed to so many new books :)

2. I decided to read it because after seeing that it was nominated for this month, I read the synopsis and thought it sounded good.

3. I expected to be entertained and I definitely was. I would recommend this book for sure.

It took me 2 days to read it because I work 12 hour shifts, but it is definitely a short, entertaining read.

Just finished! I definitely think it was well written, and I zipped right through, but I don't know that I enjoyed it all that much. It was just so frustrating.

I did have a hard time with Korede and her choices. (view spoiler)[Maybe it's because I don't have siblings, but I don't get why she kept helping/covering for Ayoola. She didn't seem to like her very much, and was such a stickler in the rest of her life. So maybe there's a sibling bond there that I just don't get. But I feel like at some point, you'd have to cut ties! Unless it was that she was so caught up in it and knew that she would get in trouble too if she exposed her sister. I wasn't quite clear on whether they had killed their father - the flashback to the scene where he dies makes it sound like an accident, but then later there is a line about the two of them deciding to kill him. Anyone else have a read on that? (hide spoiler)]

Afternoon, all.

As promised, here are a few more - hopefully not too spoilery - questions for you to ponder, either as you read, if you're still reading, or once you've finished.

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expetations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?

I heard of it last year when people were reading it for a book written by someone from Africa.

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?

I just got curious because a lot of people on here were talking about it.

3. What are your expectations before you start?

I didn't really have any.

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expetations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?

I did. I don't know that I found it that comical, but I did find it interesting

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?

I was actually thinking about this before I saw this question. It seemed that the police were corrupt, and I think that did help in getting the ball rolling with the first cover up. And, of course, once you do something once, it's easier to do it a second time.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?

I think it drives everything they do. Because Korede had to protect (or felt she did) Ayoola from him when they were kids, she has carried that on into adulthood. And I think (though maybe I'm reading too much into it) that Ayoola holds all men in contempt because of their father.

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?

I think she's awful. Like I said, the first cover up may have been because she believed it was self-defense and feared police corruption. But, any and every death after her sister's second victim is firmly on her. I think she compartmentalizes the two.

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?

I think the only character I fully liked was the "house girl." I don't hate Tade, but I don't know that I really liked him either. Ayoola is obviously just pure evil and Korede is really no better. I also hate their mother. She ought to open her eyes a bit.

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?

Yes, it’s been on my TBR for about a year.

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?

It’s an interesting premise, there was a lot of buzz around it, and I’m trying to read more diverse books.


3. What are your expectations before you start?

I thought it would be kinda funny but I didn’t read too much about it before starting.

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expetations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?

Not at all. Totally not what I expected. I was too frustrated with the characters to find it funny.

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?

It’s painted as a very corrupt, superficial, and patriarchal place.
Ayoola and Korede are both quite incompetent but it doesn’t matter because the deck is stacked in their favor.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?

Korede always had to protect her sister and that has carried on to an absurd extent. I guess you could make the argument that Ayoola’s behavior is an attempt to reclaim the power she didn’t have as a child at the mercy of her father.

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?

She is an absolute mess. I constantly wanted to slap her. At every turn she makes the worst decisions. (Like even if you accept her enabling her sister, she is actually pretty terrible at it). At first I had sympathy for her but her drooling after Tade (who is also trash) got on my nerves and then when it was clear she was always going to back her sister, I was done. She not really a great nurse either. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself and her sister.

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?
Muhtar was okay. I hated everyone else.

Ugh what a let down.

Ariel wrote: "Muhtar was okay..."

I don't know about that. (view spoiler)[He was also willing to let a killing spree continue, and even though he divorced his own wife wanted to force his son to marry against his heart. (hide spoiler)]

Hello! Started this today and will jump right in. Does this fit in any other categories? I feel like the author would have been in her 20's bit I haven't confirmed it yet.

1. Had you ever heard of this book before it was nominated as a group read?
I have heard of it and it has been on my list/radar since it came out but never screamed "You must read me NOW!!"

2. What made you decide to read this book? Was it just because it was a monthly read? Or did something else prompt you to take it off the shelf - for example, the description, the fact that its shown well in the book awards?
The discussion being this month is kismet. For my book club this year every month has a movie genre for a theme. March is "domestic mystery". It was between this, The Better Liar and Perfect Little Children. A combination of the size, this discussion and reviews made me pick this one for March.

3. What are your expectations before you start?
I am not big on expectations. I hope that I (and my fellow book club members) will enjoy it. I find the concept interesting. Who knows. I don't tend to like villians being made to seem less bad or relatable so it is up in the air for sure

Katy wrote: "Ariel wrote: "Muhtar was okay..."

I don't know about that. [spoilers removed]"


(view spoiler)[ But there was that line about the girl’s father wanting them married for political reasons. I dunno, we didn’t get the whole story there but
I didn’t get the impression he was being malicious toward his family, just fed up with them. As for keeping the secret, that didn’t really bother me for some reason. Like, he wasn’t really involved, he accidentally came into Korede’s confidence but instead of throwing her under the bus, he gave her the space to do the right thing. Obviously, from a moral standpoint you would want him to act but within the context of character development, it was Korede’s responsiblity to stand up to her sister. (hide spoiler)]

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expetations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?
I wouldnt' call it "darkly comic" - I didn't really find it humorous. I had VERY high expectations for this book, and it did not meet them, so I was disappointed. If I had read it without having heard about it first, (and without that title that promises so much) I might have enjoyed it more. That's the curse of rave reviews ...


2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?
I didn't really think Lagos played much of a role, this could have taken place almost anywhere.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?
I thought this was HUGE and actually the key to everything. (view spoiler)[Because they never talked about him, but just hinted at things, I inferred that he had been abusive, and Ayoola was finally driven to kill him because of the abuse. Korede was not driven quite to that point, but as the other abused daughter she certainly was on her sister's side, and naturally helped her cover up the murder to make it seem innocent. And THIS is what started their bizarre dynamic of killing and covering up ... And of course his years of abuse is also what shaped the sisters: the manipulative & self-centered Ayoola & spineless, clinging Korede. This was how they coped with the abuse and by the time they reached adulthood their personalities were formed and unchanging. (hide spoiler)] Of course, none of this is spelled out, I just intuited it by reading between the lines, and I could be completely wrong!!!

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?
I was really disappointed in Korede, she was like a doormat, and completely insecure despite her education and good job. I wanted her to snap out of it and trust herself and break free of her family. But I guess that's the thing, she couldn't.

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?
Yeah, the boyfriend doctor!

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expectations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?
Not really. Not sure what was really meant to be comedic about it other than "ha ha, women killers, aren't they awful"?

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions? There was definitely a sense of laziness, although I don't think that's specific to Lagos. But both Korede's co-workers and the police didn't seem to want to do much. That could have been a factor - just knowing if they just kept their heads down, probably no one would be too eager to solve any of the cases - or even put together the dots of the string of Ayoola's missing exes.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them? At the most basic level, it's some explanation for their actions, in that both have every reason to fear that a man could suddenly become viciously violent, despite seeming fine a moment before. And the lesson that the only way to escape that is when the perpetrator dies.

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?She just frustrated me - didn't seem to like her sister much, or anything she was doing and yet, didn't do anything about it. I wonder if her dedication to her job was in response to what her sister was doing - sort of a "since I'm involved in that, I'm going to really try to improve the lives of these other people" thing. But really, I didn't get much of a sense of that - more that she was just a joyless scold of the way everyone else did their jobs.

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy? Most of the characters did, at times. I sympathized with both daughters for having to deal with their father. I sympathized with Korede for always having seen her sister waltz in and get what she wanted with men while no one gave Korede a second glance. I sympathized with Tade, wanting this woman so badly he'd put up with her cheating. I sympathized with Muhtar, waking from his coma to see all these cracks within his family.

It's just that most of the feelings didn't last all the way through, as most of the characters then revealed that they could also do some pretty horrible or idiotic things that I did not sympathize with.

Apologies for not saying much this last week. We were in Florida, which was an interesting experience just now. Loved it, but really glad to be back in England.

I should probably answer my own questions!

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expectations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?

I started off enjoying it, expecting something of a Dexter-like feel. However, by halfway through, (view spoiler)[when Ayoola was setting her target at Tade, (hide spoiler)] I felt more disturbed than amused. At least Dexter is likeable, in his way. Ayoola wasn't.

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?

My feeling was that the way the setting was written made it sound pretty lawless. I agree with Katy, that maybe it was a factor in why Korede helped Ayoola the first time. Later...hmm, harder to tell.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?

I feel it was where Korede's desire to protect Ayoola started, but by body number #3, I would have thought that even Korede would have begun to question whether what she was doing was right. Unless it was scarred into her psyche, and Ayoola is now just taking advantage of that.

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?

This was the bit I found hardest to reconcile, which is why I really didn't like the second half as much. As a nurse, and therefore someone in the business of saving lives, I felt she should have had a duty to do something to stop her sister. And yet...

(view spoiler)[Plus If she really cared for Tade, why didn't she do more to warn him? The fact that she came down on her sister's side again was really frustrating. (hide spoiler)]

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?

Of the characters we saw any of, I felt sorry for Tade(view spoiler)[ because of how she betrayed him, when she was supposed to care for him (hide spoiler)]

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expectations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?

Yes, I definitely enjoyed this one. I went into the book with minimal expectations when I read it last year for the Tournament of Books. I think those of us who enjoyed it the most read it through a lens of not taking the plot too seriously. I suspended my rules of right and wrong for this story to get to the underlying themes. This helped me avoid feeling bothered or frustrated by the characters' actions. I didn't feel it was supposed to be representative of a real situation that we were expected to analyze or take sides on. I thought it was a great story that was only a story. Since I read this over a year ago, I don't completely remember the reading experience, but I don't think I found it too humorous. Maybe dark, but in a light way?

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?

Unfortunately I can't remember this aspect of it.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?

I think their father played a significant role in shaping their actions and coping mechanisms throughout their lives.

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?

I think Korede is supposed to be seen as deeply flawed in what she does, but we know that she's doing it out of love and loyalty to her sister.

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?

Most of them did at some point. Certainly Tade, but also the sisters at times.

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expectations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?

I did enjoy the book, I read it in 24 hours, it was the kind of light read I was looking for right now. It's why I really like doing this reading challenge because I probably never would have read the book if it hadn't been the book of the month. I didn't really have any expectations. I didn't exactly find it comic, it was definitely dark which I enjoyed. I more rolled my eyes a lot than laughed.

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?

I don't know much about Lagos or Nigeria so it was interesting that it was set there. Marriage seems to be approached really differently there, it was interesting to see how the different characters approached marriage and how it was rarely connected to love. The police corruption was a recurring theme.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?

As someone else said, I think it drives everything they do. (view spoiler)[ Ayoola is a narcissist but she also seems like she was traumatized by the abuse from her father. Whenever a man gets angry with her (maybe? or just close?) she gets violent. Korede always had to protect her sister from the abuse and that established the dynamic of their relationship. The father was basically going to pimp out his daughter to a chief for a business deal, so they killed him (I think that's what's implied). They were young when that happened but it established their need to hide things and to protect each other.
(hide spoiler)]

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?

I think I was a lot more sympathetic to her than some of the other posters. Maybe because her relationship with her sister reminded me of mine with my sister, a little (my sister is not a serial killer). (view spoiler)[ I think she was deeply conflicted in wanting to do the right thing and stop her sister's violence, while at the same time having established early on that she was her sister's protector. Tade was pretty cruel to her because he was attracted to her sister. She still tried to protect him. In the end I didn't feel bad for what happened to him. And it seemed understandable, even though I wished she went a different direction, that Korede chose her sister above her other relationships. (hide spoiler)]

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?

Yes, I felt sympathy for Korede although I didn't necessarily like her per se.

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expetations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?
So I don't know if this was because of the book or because of our real life plague sitiuation but I am very up in the air on this book. I don't know if I liked or hated it. It could go either way. I didn't find anything about it comic I can say that to be certain. And other than the murders it wasn't even that dark.

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?>
I don't think the setting was a big part of the book. It was mentioned in passing a few times and the only "real" thing that was said was the police were corrupt and easily bribed.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?
(view spoiler)[The abuse they dealt with as children definitely impacted them into adulthood. I think maybe Korede felt guilty about the abuse and that's why she was so willing to cover for her sister. (hide spoiler)]

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?I actually think Ayoola is a psychopath and Korede is a sociopath. I think Korede was a worse character. (view spoiler)[Ayoola is clearly a bad guy but Korede is written to be sympathized but she deserves none. She could have done something. Gotten her sister mental help. Not helped her cover up murders. Something. But she didn't. She let it slide. (hide spoiler)]

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?
Muhtar. (view spoiler)[His wife was evil and he had compassion for Korede, willing to be her conscience since hers was skewed. Also, (hide spoiler)]the custodian(view spoiler)[ that was fired and (hide spoiler)]Tate(view spoiler)[ going down because Korede is a sociopath. (hide spoiler)]

Finished! Just in time :)

1. Did you enjoy the book? How did it rank up against your expetations, if you had any? Did you find it "darkly comic"?
- It was ok, but not as exciting as I thought a book about a serial killer would be.

2. What is your impression of Lagos from the book? Could environment be a factor in the sisters' actions?
- I don't think the setting played a big part in the story. In fact, I kept forgetting where the story was taking place.

3. Korede and Ayoola's father is dead - however, to me, his shadow seems to linger. How do you think their relationship with him still affects them?
- I'm still trying to figure out if Korede and Ayoola killed their father!!! If they did I think that would explain some of their later actions.

4. Ayoola comes across as a fairly text-book sociopath - but what about Korede? What do you think of her? How do you think she reconciles her career as a nurse with what she does for her sister?
- I thought Korede was such a strange character. She thinks she's helping her sister but she's really just enabling her. I think she kinda gets off on playing the "hero" and knowing that Ayoola would be in prison if it weren't for her cleaning up her tracks.

5. Did any of the characters elicit your sympathy?
- No. In the beginning I did feel bad for Korede for how their parents seemed to favor Ayoola (however I'm not sure if this is even true - Korede isn't a reliable narrator). By the end it was hard to defend any of her actions.

I had never heard of this book before but I’m so glad I read it! It was definitely one that made me want to keep reading until the end!