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Black Sheep cover art

Black Sheep

Written by: Rachel Harrison
Narrated by: Jeremy Carlisle Parker
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Publisher's Summary

A New York Times Best Horror Book of the Year

A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle.

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.

©2023 Rachel Harrison (P)2023 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"Jeremy Carlisle Parker narrates this dark, twisty novel about mysterious Vesper Wright, who, six years ago, escaped her strict religious community and her mother's iron fist.... Listeners will feel the icy disapproval in Vesper's mother's diatribes and the silky force of Vesper herself. Parker reveals secrets and twists in an even, rational tone that heightens the story's shock factor. Her narration feels like a warm breath on your neck in a dark room where you thought you were alone." (AudioFile)

“Anyone who read Such Sharp Teeth knows that Harrison can absolutely nail thorny family dynamics and blend them with visceral horror, but with Black Sheep, there’s something new going on, proving yet again that Harrison is one of the most versatile authors in the genre." —Paste Magazine

“Vesper's story ruminates on themes that include nature vs. nurture, the legacy of family trauma, and the repercussions of organized religion in its various forms...this subject matter elevates a horror novel to a study in philosophy, even as the bloodletting ramps up.” —Shelf Awareness

“Harrison finds new ways to press on the bruise of growing up as an outsider, delivering small-town religious horror with wit as sharp as a ritual dagger piercing through a bleeding core of familial trauma.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

What listeners say about Black Sheep

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What a fun ride!

Loved this. Great narration. Not too spooky. Great for fall! Definitely worth the listen! X

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something fresh

loved it! new spin on the child of Satan premise. great narration and very engaging.

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not great

I went into this book blind, that was a terrible idea. I should have quit when I realized the religious story line.
the story was awful.

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