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.
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As I stood singing the birthday song for the fifth time that evening, I realised I was wrong for not believing in hell.- 1
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(@TitanBooks, 23 January 2024, paperback, 304 pages, copy from the publisher)
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This is a new author for me. I really enjoyed Black Sheep. This is the perfect blend of humour and darkness. I had a terrific time reading this. The novel is written in the first person, narrated by Vesper. I think she's a brilliant character, cynical and opinionated, lured back to the dysfunctional family she left despite her best efforts. The revelations about just what kind of religious weirdos her family is surprised me because I didn't see it coming. I like to be surprised. There is revelation after revelation as Vesper discovers just how dark her family are and now dangerous her bond to them is. I didn't want this book to end. I'd recommend Black Sheep.
