Horse

More about the book

“Brooks’ chronological and cross-disciplinary leaps are thrilling.” — The New York Times Book Review. “Horse isn’t just an animal story—it’s a moving narrative about race and art.” — TIME. “A thrilling story about humanity in all its ugliness and beauty . . . reading it feels like watching a neck-and-neck horse race—you just can’t look away.” — Oprah Daily. Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. A discarded painting, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in America weave together a sweeping narrative of spirit, obsession, and injustice throughout history. In Kentucky, 1850, an enslaved groom named Jarret forms a profound bond with a bay foal, leading to record-setting victories. Amid the Civil War, a young artist known for his equestrian paintings joins the Union forces and reunites with the stallion and his groom in a perilous moment far from the racetrack's glamor. Fast forward to New York City, 1954, where gallery owner Martha Jackson becomes captivated by a mysterious nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting. In Washington, DC, 2019, Jess, a Smithsonian scientist, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, connect through their shared fascination with the horse—one studying its bones and the other uncovering the lost history of the Black horsemen essential to its success. Based on the true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, this novel explores themes of art, science, love, obsession