Spoilers!
You gotta love a book with a premise that upends the expected in a devilishly fun way. In Rachel Harrison’s 2023 black comedy horror book, Black Sheep, she does just that with the story about Vesper, a 24-year-old on the outs with her family, who are, um, a little bit unusual.
Vesper works at Shortee’s, a diner where drunk frat boys harass her, her “best friend” co-worker, Kerri is self-absorbed, and she’s fired in short order by her boss for spilling nacho cheese on an aforementioned drunk frat boy. But hey, she’s doing her own thing as the “black sheep” of the family. She hints through the start of the book that she didn’t want co-sign their religion and is unlikely to be welcomed back into the broader community. Once you’re out, you’re out. Still, she misses her actual best friend growing up, Rosie, and her one and only love, Brody. She gave it all up at 18 to get away from her family, particularly her cold, “scream queen” horror famous mother, Constance. Vesper has warmer memories of her father, but he was largely out of the picture once she became a teen. After being fired from Shortee’s, she gets an anonymous invitation to the wedding of Rosie and Brody, which sets in motion her return to the community and a reunion with her family.
Since I don’t read the synopsis of books prior to diving in, I wasn’t sure where the book was going at this point. I suspected Vesper was part of a cult of some sort given the strong language about being on the outs once you disavowed the religion. That’s what made her a “black sheep.” That is the case, but what’s even better — and how Harrison upends the family dynamic formula — is that the cult is Satanism. Her whole family and the fictional village in New Jersey they are part of, Virgil, is a Satanic sect known as Hell’s Gate. They are theistic Satanists in the sense that they believe in Satan as a true deity, a Lord, who will usher in armageddon, burning all nonbelievers, and saving them. Vesper thought that was all bunk and skipped town. It didn’t help, either, again, that her mother was cold and detached. Not merely because she was a movie star, but because she so clearly seemed to disdain Vesper.
At the wedding, Vesper’s father appears and turns out, he’s Satan. No, not a delusion cult leader who thinks he’s Satan (as Vesper initially assumes), but literally Satan, which makes Vesper the spawn of Satan, aka the Princess of Hell. That makes the “black sheep” moniker even more darkly hilarious. She’s not only the black sheep of a Satanic cult, but the black sheep of Satan’s family. Satan needs her blood sacrifice — killing her like a lamb led to slaughter — to open Hell’s seal to usher in armageddon. In a sick moment, Vesper’s “family” drug her and she awakens to Satan (her dad!) eating her rib prior to slitting her throat and offering said blood sacrifice. She’s able to turn the tables, though, surprisingly thanks to her mother, and sends everyone in the cult to Hell. Naturally, given Constance’s status as a horror icon, afterward, the site of all of this turns into a touristy horror museum, and Vesper moves on with her life.
I’m not sure why Constance ultimately helped Vesper. Was that redemptive arc, of sorts, earned for Constance, who was mean to Vesper at every turn prior? I don’t believe so. Did she just have a change of heart about Vesper and Satanism? Or was Constance leaning into the meta with Vesper now playing the role of the “final girl,” which Vesper herself references? I lean more toward the latter. Despite her much Constance loved tongue-kissing Satan, she loves the iconography of the final girl more! Also, I get why for the horror of it all, which creates some of the fun graphic moments — like Vesper’s Princess of Hell anger coming out when she causes Kerri’s face to smash against the sink knocking her teeth out — but I almost wish Harrison stuck with Vesper being the black sheep of a delusional Satanic cult rather than a literal Satanic cult.
That said, I enjoyed this breezy, darkly comedic horror book. Harrison is a fun writer, who writes Vesper with such aloof acerbicness that is oddly charming and endearing. Even though she’s the spawn of Satan, you’re hoping that Vesper will do right by humanity and not given into her “ledger of cynicism” that she’s keeping. Yeah, those frat boys suck, Kerri sucks, her boss sucks, the crushing throngs of public transit suck, and even George, her one night stand, sucks, but billions of people still don’t deserve to burn in the pits of Hell for eternity because of cynicism!
If you’re looking for a nice “beach read” at the lake of fire, then Harrison’s book is for you.
Milam's Musings 