After the phenomenal success of My Sister, the Serial Killer, Nigerian-British author Oyinkan Braithwaite returns with Cursed Daughters—a haunting family saga that blends realism with the supernatural, exploring inheritance, identity, and the unshakable weight of generational curses.
When Oyinkan Braithwaite’s debut novel My Sister, the Serial Killer hit shelves in 2018, it felt like lightning in a bottle. The darkly comic tale of two sisters in Lagos—one responsible and watchful, the other dangerously charming with a habit of killing her boyfriends—captured imaginations across the globe. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, longlisted for the Booker Prize, and cemented Braithwaite as one of the freshest voices in contemporary literature.
But success can be a double-edged sword. For many writers, the second novel carries a unique burden: to prove the debut was no fluke while expanding creatively without alienating readers. Braithwaite doesn’t hide from these mixed emotions.
“The second book is often the hardest—but I’m proud of myself for getting it out,” she says. “If you’re known for something light, and then you go into something heavier, readers may not expect that when they turn the page. It’s scary putting your work out there, no matter the kind of artist you are.”
Braithwaite’s second novel, Cursed Daughters, marks a bold departure in both tone and genre. While her debut was a brisk crime noir, this new story unfolds as a sweeping, multi-generational tale threaded with myth and surrealism.
The novel follows three women: Ebun, Monife, and Eniiyi. On the day Monife is buried, Ebun goes into labor and gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi. From the moment she enters the world, Eniiyi is said to be Monife reborn, the uncanny resemblance feeding whispers of reincarnation.
At the heart of their story lies a family curse: every woman in the lineage is destined to lose the men they love. “What interested me was how these women confront that curse differently—and how Eniiyi grows up under the weight of being thought of as someone else reborn,” Braithwaite explains.
By weaving family drama with touches of the supernatural, Cursed Daughters both honors and expands the kind of storytelling Braithwaite grew up with. “The only real similarity with My Sister, the Serial Killer is that both books place family at the center,” she notes. “Beyond that, they belong to very different worlds.”
Looking back on her debut, Braithwaite still marvels at its worldwide resonance. “A lot of people who don’t usually read found it easy to pick up. It’s short, digestible. And I think women, especially, were drawn to the idea of a female character killing men—and not being assaulted or victimized in return. In crime fiction, women are so often written as victims. Flipping that dynamic struck a chord.”
Yet she resisted the urge to replicate the formula. “Sometimes I think, what if this is what works for me? But I had to trust myself and the story I wanted to tell.”
Though raised in England, where she first encountered literature mainly through British authors, Braithwaite has increasingly turned to Nigeria for inspiration. “Every single day in Nigeria feels like treasure—the culture, the way we tell stories, it’s all so rich. As a writer, I can’t ignore that.”
Inspiration arrives from everywhere: a news article, an overheard phrase, a vivid dream, or even the perspective of her young daughter. “Children make you notice things differently,” she reflects. “If the wind is blowing hard and the trees sway, she might think the tree is alive. Watching her interact with the world constantly influences me.”
This book launch feels markedly different from her first. Then, Braithwaite was unmarried, childless, and fully immersed in her career. Now, she is a wife and mother, navigating new responsibilities alongside professional commitments.
“The challenge is balancing it all—being there for my daughter, traveling for the book, staying healthy and mentally present for readers. Thankfully, I have a supportive family. But it’s something I’ll figure out as I go.”
She chuckles at the irony of productivity under constraint. “I actually feel like I achieve more now because I don’t have any time. When I do, I have to make the most of it.”
What does she hope readers feel when they turn the final page of Cursed Daughters? “A sense of peace,” she says. “Things might get sad, even dark, but I want there to be light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t want readers to walk away depressed. I want them to feel relief, that things worked out somehow.”
That desire—for balance, for hope amid heaviness—threads through her work. With Cursed Daughters, Oyinkan Braithwaite proves she is more than a one-book wonder. She is a writer unafraid of shadow and light, curse and redemption, telling stories that linger long after the last page.
