THE BLACK SHEEP

A scintillating tale of a dreadful man who successfully sleeps his way to the top.

It is said that, upon the publication of Madame Bovary, more than a few French women came forward claiming that they were the model for Flaubert’s philandering heroine. It is hard to imagine anyone similarly identifying with Nat Green, the despicable, cheating anti-hero of The Black Sheep. Nat–whose story is told by his son Alan–is a violent, self-centered, money-grabbing, manipulative, womanizing lout who nonetheless possesses abundant charisma to win friends and influence people. His modus operandi involves charming, seducing and ultimately bilking unsuspecting women out of their money. Sometimes he marries them and sometimes not, but aside from a few redemptive moments near novel’s end, he frequently leaves the scene of the crime a smoking pile of rubble. Therefore, it is much to Oppenheim’s credit that he manages to make Nat an alluring subject. Though readers hate Nat to the core, they can’t take their eyes away from him, like the proverbial impossible-to-ignore car wreck. This is not to say that the author doesn’t periodically cross the line and allow the narrative to lapse into tastelessness or needless cruelty. When Nat initiates a game of strip poker in an attempt to seduce his three older sisters, readers merely shudder. Later, when one of Nat’s wives presents him with undeniable proof of his infidelity and he pulls a gun, readers wonder if Oppenheim has gone too far. But he always pulls back at a crucial moment, keeping readers intrigued with his diabolical creation until the end.

A very good book about a very bad man.