Horse by Geraldine Brooks (2022 fiction)

In 3 interconnected stories, Geraldine Brooks tells the saga of antebellum era racehorse Lexington and the people who surrounded him, painted his portrait, and studied his legacy. In 1850, an enslaved groom forges a bond with a foal who would become the record-setting stallion. When the Civil War breaks out, an itinerant artist who paints Lexington’s portrait joins the Union Army and eventually reunites with horse and groom in very different circumstances. In 1954, a New York gallery owner known for taking risks becomes obsessed with an equestrian painting of mysterious provenance. And in 2019 Washington, D.C., an Australian scientist working at the Smithsonian and a Nigerian art historian find themselves connected through their shared interest in Lexington, one studying the horse’s skeleton to find the secrets of his speed and endurance, and the other discovering the lost history of the Black horsemen who were critical to his success. This is a captivating book with unexpected revelations about the exploitation of both people and horses in the pre-Civil War era south, art history and scientific study, as well as current-day racism. It is enlightening and somewhat sad. I could not put it down.

Reviewed by Ginger Russell