Our Sister Killjoy

Compare and contrast Our Sister Killjoy with another text that has similar themes. Some options include Beyond the Horizon by Amma Darko, “The Thing Around Your Neck” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, or The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah. What key themes or ideas do the two texts share? In what ways are they different or similar in their approach?

A lot of elements of Our Sister Killjoy are ambiguous—the length of time she spends in Europe, the order of events, the details of her relationship with the man in the love letter, and so on. How does this ambiguity tie into the novel’s themes?

Sissie briefly mentions Nkrumah and some details of Ghana’s road to independence (See: Background). How does Sissie describe the then-current state of post-colonial countries like Ghana? How do her views differ from those of other Africans she encounters while abroad?

The narrative of Our Sister Killjoy, besides the final section, switches constantly between prose and poetry, with the latter expressing Sissie’s thoughts more directly. How does this narrative device function in the text? What is the significance of this hybrid format, and what does it achieve that an entirely prose-based or poetry-based work could not?

Consider the four-part structure of the narrative, in which Sissie’s time in Bavaria comes just before her return home (and after her time in England). Why do you think the parts are included out of chronological order? How would a chronological structure have altered the story? Reference the text when giving your answer.

Consider the four-part structure of the narrative, in which Sissie’s time in Bavaria comes just before her return home (and after her time in England). Why do you think the parts are included out of chronological order? How would a chronological structure have altered the story? Reference the text when giving your answer.

Our Sister Killjoy was among the first post-colonial Ghanaian texts to get widespread attention. Read a more recent work of post-colonial African literature. How are the text’s stated ideas and goals different? How are they similar? What does this tell you about the development of post-colonial ideas?

Critically analyze the moment in the train station when Sissie’s perception of race changes permanently. How does this moment inform the rest of the text? How does it connect to the story’s themes?