Not Every Story Owes You A Happy Ending (A Book Review).

 

There are books you finish, close with a smile, and move on. And then there are books you finish, stare at the ceiling for five minutes, and ask yourself, "What exactly was that?"

My Sister, the Serial Killer was the second one for me.

First of all... I need God to judge the author a little. 😭

I finally finished My Sister, the Serial Killer and... I think my biggest problem is that I wanted justice more than the author wanted to give it to me.

I closed the book and just sat there thinking, "That can't be it."

Throughout the entire story, Ayoola keeps killing the men she dates, and every single time, her older sister Korede is there to clean up after her. She lies for her, protects her, and keeps choosing her over what is right. As a reader, I kept waiting for the moment everything would finally catch up with them. I was convinced that at some point, someone would find out, the truth would come out, and justice would finally be served.

It never happened.

In fact, the only man who managed to survive Ayoola's attack somehow ended up in prison. Prison! Meanwhile, Ayoola simply... carried on with her life. Then the author introduced another man in the final pages, and all I could think was, "Surely you're not telling me this whole cycle is about to begin again?"

I won't lie. I was annoyed.

Very annoyed.

The ending felt so unfair that I found myself wondering what the author was actually trying to say. Was she trying to show that justice doesn't always win? That sometimes bad people really do get away with terrible things? That life doesn't always wrap itself up with a satisfying ending?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe my frustration was the point...

We're so used to stories where everything falls into place by the last chapter. The bad person gets caught, the good person wins, and everyone gets the ending they deserve. But real life isn't always like that. Sometimes people do terrible things and never face the consequences we think they should. Sometimes innocent people suffer. Sometimes the ending isn't neat.

As much as I hated it, I have to admit the ending stayed with me. I'm still thinking about it.

I also couldn't stop thinking about Korede and Ayoola themselves. Throughout the book, I kept seeing pieces of their abusive father in both of them. Not because they became exactly like him, but because it was impossible to ignore how much their childhood seemed to shape the people they grew into. It didn't excuse what they did, but it made me think about how complicated people really are.....

One thing I really enjoyed was how easy the book was to read. The chapters were short, the writing was simple, and before I knew it, I was halfway through. It kept me turning the pages, partly because I wanted to know what would happen next, and partly because I was hoping....almost begging😭...for justice.

I never got it.

And maybe that's okay.

Maybe not every story is supposed to leave us feeling satisfied. Maybe some stories are meant to make us uncomfortable, to leave us with questions instead of answers, and to remind us that the world isn't always fair.🌚

Do I like the ending?

No.....Oh! Absolutely not!

Will I stop complaining about it anytime soon?

Also no....

But I can appreciate what it made me think about.

For me, My Sister, the Serial Killer gets 6/10. Not because it wasn't engaging....it absolutely was...but because I'm still arguing with that ending.

And somehow... I think the author knew I would be. 😭