My Sister, the Serial Killer

Another tasty snack. Easy to read in just a couple of hours. I don't think it is a spoiler to say this is a first person account of a woman whose sister is a serial killer.

Both the narrator and her sister (and their mother) suffered at the hands of an abusive father/husband. This is clear immediately, and a few vignettes are presented to confirm it.

A picture of the sister that emerges is very much that of a sociopath (antisocial personality disorder). While the narrator never confirms it, she does at more than one point, call her sister sick and essentially absolves her of responsibility for her actions.

The mother is not well-fleshed out and is just painted in as a two-dimensional foil for the narrator.

The narrator who is a nurse who, despite her medical background, assiduously avoids any self-reflection as to the effects of the traumas she also sustained. She seems to suffer from a personality disorder (OCPD) as well, but we glean that only from her incidental, off-hand descriptions of her obsessive cleaning and straightening.

And, as is true in the real world, growth for those with personality disorders is exceedingly difficult and can only really be achieved with great active effort. Since there is none of that desire or effort here, there is exactly the expected amount of growth – which is to say, there is none. In the end, there is only acceptance that she will always put her sister first.

As a consequence, there isn't a lot of suspense in the story. Pretty early on, you can see where it is all going, but the prose is so lovely. The writing paints beautiful pictures in your mind of the setting and the people, and I will eagerly read more from this author.