The Horse
'Extraordinary.' Ann Patchett
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- 109,00 kr
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- 109,00 kr
Publisher Description
'Tremendously compelling . . . as succinct and wrenching as a well-honed folk song.'
GUARDIAN
'A bruised and beautiful instant classic.'
BEN MYERS
Willy Vlautin's most personal novel yet - a poetic and deeply moving story about what it really takes to be a musician.
'There's a horse', he whispered. 'An old horse that's standing in front of my house. He's blind and he won't eat and I don't know what to do.'
65-year-old Al Ward is several years into an isolated stint living on old mining land in Nevada left to him by his great uncle. One morning, the horse arrives outside his home, seemingly unable to feed itself or stay safe from coyote attacks. 6000 feet up, 30 miles from the nearest town and broken by alcoholism and anxiety, Al must decide what to do.
Intercut with Al's present-day story are episodes from his long life as a songwriter and guitarist. Beginning in Reno, we follow his chequered career as a touring musician, struggling to make ends meet and to survive the reality of a like devoid of the glitz and glamour of mainstream success.
Vlautin's new novel is a gorgeous homage to the uncelebrated musicians who make our lives more joyful, and, as always, an exploration of loneliness, humanity and resilience.
'Another classic from one of America's greatest storytellers.'
JONATHAN EVISON
'A terrific parable of art and aging.'
JESS WALTER
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Songwriter and novelist Vlautin's heartrending latest (after The Night Always Comes) centers on Al Ward, an aging country music guitarist and songwriter whose 40 years on the road have left him broken and struggling with alcoholism. He lives without electricity or running water on his late great-uncle's mining claim in central Nevada, subsisting on canned soup and spending his days writing songs and going for walks. When a blind horse shows up at his doorstep in the depths of winter, he must decide: will he let the horse die, or will he try to save it by walking 30 miles to his closest neighbor for help? His deliberations are messy and convoluted, and he eventually chooses the latter course. While trudging through the snow, he's flooded with memories of his severe mother and alcoholic uncle, his only father figure, and recalls how he escaped his unhappy childhood through music after seeing Buck Owens and his band in concert ("When they played, suddenly Al wasn't Al anymore. He was transported inside the noise and rhythm and melody and story"). He also reflects on his ex-wife, Maxine, and ruminates on his regrets over losing her. As Al tries to redeem himself, Vlautin movingly conveys the power of music to reveal new possibilities in one's life. This shines.
