I wasn’t going to read Horse by Geraldine Brooks. I usually avoid books about animals because I’m terrified of getting attached to said animal, and then of the animal dying at the end.
(Marley and Me, Where the Red Fern Grows – I’m looking at you.)
But something made me pick up Horse. I have absolutely zero regrets.
What’s Horse about?
Horse is about, well, a horse. As you may have guessed. It’s also about so much more than that.
It’s about the bond that can form between humans and animals. It’s about painting and capturing the wonder of bone and ligament and muscle linked together.
It’s about America’s disturbing history of and dependency on enslavement. It’s about current race relations and how we navigate through them – or how we don’t, in some cases.
It’s about kindness and love and compassion. It’s about the less popular career ambitions that people can be oddly, wonderfully passionate about.
This book, which is a wonderful blend of historical fiction and contemporary fiction, encompasses all the great elements of the great American novel.
A note about author Geraldine Brooks
Geraldine Brooks is one of my favorite authors. She first captured my interest with Year of Wonders, which is about the bubonic plague. That book spoke to my little macabre, history-loving heart, and I’ve read several other of Brooks’ novels since then.
Granted, there have been some that I haven’t loved. But, even those were beautifully written, richly detailed works of literary art.
And, Horse is right up there as one of Brooks’ stand-out novels.
What I loved about Horse
Horse is told from several different viewpoints, and there are many characters woven together throughout each timeline. Brooks is such a skilled writer that you never get lost between viewpoints or time periods; she knows exactly when to bring you out of one scene and into another.
I loved all the storylines in Horse, though my favorite is that of enslaved groom Jarrett — and, by association, that of the great American racehorse, Lexington. The whole book could have just been about the two of them, riding and training and racing, and I would’ve been thrilled.
My least favorite storyline was art gallery owner Martha Jackson’s, though there’s not a real reason why. I think it’s because this character is introduced halfway through the book and receives rather little attention after that. By the time I met Martha in the 1950s timeline, I was already in love with 1800s Jarrett and Lexington, and with 2019 characters Jess and Theo, and I didn’t want anyone else taking me away from their stories.
Speaking of Jess and Theo – it was so refreshing to meet main characters who are academics. Not to mention, a woman whose occupation is so wildly different from the usual female protagonist occupation of book editor or publicist. Hurrah, Brooks.
Will Horse make me cry?
Yes, Horse will make you cry. But, not in the way you’d expect with a book centered around an animal.
Thank goodness, because my heart cannot handle that, as I said earlier.
But, I did cry buckets toward the end of the novel. I can’t tell you why, though, because that would ruin the complete and utter shocking twist the Brooks throws into one of the storylines. Prepare yourselves, Tartlets.
Should you read Horse?
I think everyone should give Horse a try, even if this genre isn’t your usual cup of tea. This novel is meticulously researched, gorgeously written, and profoundly moving. I invite you to savor the various worlds that Brooks creates.
A quick word of warning for all “plot -driven” readers out there: Horse is a long, meandering story. Despite it being centered around a racehorse, it’s not a book you’re meant to race through. If you’re looking for a high-impact thrill ride, this is not the novel for you. While there are numerous tense situations and heart-pounding moments, Horse is literary fiction at its finest.
And, if you’re looking for recommendations for Brooks’ other novels, I obviously recommend Year of Wonders, as well as Caleb’s Crossing.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for Horse?
Check out the book-inspired recipe for Horse: Almond Kentucky Butter Cake.
