Summary

The novel opens in modern-day Lagos, Nigeria. The protagonist is a Nigerian woman named Korede who lives with her mother and younger sister. One night, Korede’s younger sister Ayoola kills her boyfriend Femi and asks Korede to come help dispose of the body. This is the third time Ayoola has killed a boyfriend of hers, and the third time Korede has helped her sister hide the crime. Korede is horrified whenever her sister kills someone, but she feels obliged to help and protect her younger sister. Korede goes to Femi’s home, cleans up the blood, and transports the body to the river. Ayoola claims that Femi was yelling at her and threatening violence, so she stabbed him out of self-defense. However, Korede notices a knife wound in Femi’s back. Korede also knows that Femi, though tall and muscular, was a generally...