I went back and forth rating this week’s #spellbooksaturday, and in the end rounded up to a 3/5 for Rachel Harrison’s Black Sheep—in the end, I’m still talking about it, and so I suppose that counts for something.
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly…something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep. Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen. When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.
[source: bookshop.org]
First, the pros: As a big lover of horror films, I certainly appreciated Harrison’s building of Constance’s world, and the detail given to her “scream queen” filmography was fun. There were a few moments of astute observations on overcoming toxic family dynamics that may resonate for some readers.
However, pretty quickly I found the character of Vesper to be a tedious narrator, and the “surprise twist” to be really heavy handed. That said, there is plenty of pleasure to be found reading an entertaining albeit predictable horror novel, just as there is with the classic slasher movie.
Have you read Black Sheep? What were your thoughts? Share in the comments!
I have a Bookshop.org list of #spellbooksaturday features for folks to peruse, but in the spirit of transparency, as a Bookshop.org affiliate, I receive a small percentage of book sales purchased through my links. If you find that off-putting, feel free to shop directly through bookshop.org or your own local bookseller! My only goal here is to resist Amazon and the mega-rich.
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