I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks for book club. I grew up in Kentucky, so I tend to enjoy books that are set there or are about horse racing. I did not love this one, though. It bounces between three timelines. The first timeline follows Jarret in the 1850s. He is an enslaved groom who forms a special bond with a special horse. The second follows an art collector in NYC in the 1950s, who is obsessed with a mysterious painting of said horse. The last is in the present day in DC. Theo is a Black art-historian, and Jess is a scientist from Australia. They are brought together over a shared interested in the history of the horse.

Aspects of this book were compelling. The story held my interest at the beginning. I especially liked the bond between Jarret and Lexington (the horse), and learning more about the history of horse racing, especially because I grew up watching the derby every year. However, some of the storylines didn’t hold my interest (the art collector? Why) and then something happens at the end of the book that sent it completely off the rails for me, and took what was a fine book to a book I truly disliked. I really can’t recommend this book - keep reading if you want to know what tarnished it for me, or stop if you don’t want the spoiler.