Rachel Harrison is, without a doubt, one of the best ‘new’ voices in horror literature. Every time I see she’s releasing a new book I do my best to get an early copy, because I cannot wait to read them. Thankfully, I was able to do so with both Bad Dolls — which was great — and Black Sheep during this calendar year. In fact, I just finished the latter and wanted to share my thoughts.
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison is a book that I cannot say a lot about without threatening to spoil it. Thus, I’ll do my best to summarize without any sort of spoilers.
The story begins as twenty-three year-old Vesper sings yet another happy birthday song at the chain restaurant in which she works. It’s the third time that shift, and she’s grown to absolutely detest doing it, likening it to some sort of Hell. However, after an accident involving an injured customer, our protagonist finds herself quickly unemployed and unsure of what to do next. It’s after this frustrating night at work that she comes home to find a lavish envelope on her doorstep.
Inside the envelope is an invitation to her best friend and cousin’s wedding, with a note asking her to please come home for the weekend, or to stay. The thing is: Vesper hasn’t been home in six years, because her family is deeply religious and wants to control her life through their beliefs. Nobody is allowed to return after leaving, but they seem to be willing to make an exception for her. The question is whether she’ll return home and face her family’s dark secrets, judgement and beliefs all over again. To her credit, she decides to in order to see one of her favourite people get married, even if she’s marrying Vesper’s former crush.
The result is a dark, but not very scary book about going home and reuniting with a troubled family. One that is very much unlike any family you know. It’s a bit weird, it’s a lot dark and it’s quite interesting from start to finish. We experience everything through Vesper’s eyes, of course, and it’s all told in first-person. There’s a lot of depth there, too, which is nice.
Black Sheep may not sound all that great on paper. At least how I’m describing it. However, it’s a rather good book and one that is worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of the author, or horror in general. I had a hard time putting it down, and read it over the course of one night when I couldn’t sleep. That’s saying a lot. However, I must admit that I didn’t love this one as much as Cackle or Such Sharp Teeth before it. Regardless, it’s still well above average.
As with all Rachel Harrison books, this one is well written and easy to read. It’s also pretty hard to put down.
If you’re looking for a good, female written, horror book, Black Sheep won’t do you wrong. I quite enjoyed it, and find it easy to recommend. Not only is it good, but it’s unlike pretty much everything else I’ve read. You’ll likely find the same thing.
This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided with. Receiving a free, early ARC, did not sway our opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and its publisher.