1. Why does Korede continue cover up for her sister, to protect
her? What are the justifications she uses to convince herself that
Ayoola isn't a serial killer or a monster? Given the sisters' closeness,
what would you do in Korede's place?
2. Why does Ayoola kill? Korede wonders whether the knife she carries
has somehow cursed her with a violent streak. Is Ayoola cursed? Does she
carry the knife for self-defense, as she claims, to protect her against
the men to hurt her? Or are Ayoola's murders a product of something else
entirely?
3. (Follow-up to Question 2) The girls' father was a violent
man—it's his knife Ayoola carries. How might the knife stand as a symbol
of the girls' family legacy of abuse and violence?
4. (Follow-up to Question 2 & 3) What are the family dynamics? To
what extent have the girls' parents shaped their daughters' different
behaviors?
5. How would you describe Korede? As she tells us, "There never seemed
to be much point in masking my imperfections. It's as futile as using
air freshener when you leave the toilet." What does this comment suggest
about Korede's self-identity: her sense of herself and her place in the
world?
6. Korede, who lacks the beauty her sister possesses, believes that
"love is only for the beautiful." What does the novel suggest about the
power of beauty: the privileges and authority it commands, both on a
personal level and in the wider society? How do you see the role of
beauty in real life—our lives, our society?
7. Talk about the menace and corruption that permeates Lagos, as well as
the daily humiliations or sense of entitlement to which its residents
are subjected.
8. (Follow-up to Question 7) Consider the incident when the
policeman bribes a frightened Korede; she knows that "Educated women
anger men of his ilk." How would you describe the place of women in
Nigerian society as depicted in the novel?
9. One of Ayoola's boyfriends challenges Korede about her sister:
"There's something wrong with her, he says. "But you? What's your
excuse?" What specifically prompts his query? And how does, or how
should, Korede respond?
10. What was your overall experience reading My Sister, the Serial
Killer? The book is considered by most critics/reviewers as "darkly
humorous." Do you find it funny; if so, where do you find the humor?
