The Horse
A Novel
-
-
3.3 • 8 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the Joyce Carol Oates Prize
Finalist for the 2025 Oregon Book Award
“Willy Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature. In The Horse, he tells the story of a tenderhearted man who has a steady talent and a crushing addiction. It is both a work of extraordinary compassion and a really great novel." — Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake
“A moving tale of suffering and redemption, The Horse portrays the immense gravity of what it takes to be human in tough times, and the elusive grace that might just be grasped from music, animals, and memory.” — Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Horse
Award-winning author Willy Vlautin explores loneliness, art, regret, and hard-won empathy in this poignant novel—his most personal to date—that captures the life of a journeyman musician unable to escape the tragedies of his past.
Al Ward lives on an isolated mining claim in the high desert of central Nevada fifty miles from the nearest town. A grizzled man in his sixties, he survives on canned soup, instant coffee, and memories of his ex-wife, friends and family he’s lost, and his life as a touring musician. Hampered by insomnia, bouts of anxiety, and a chronic lethargy that keeps him from moving back to town, Al finds himself teetering on the edge of madness and running out of reasons to go on—until a horse arrives on his doorstep: nameless, blind, and utterly helpless.
Al hopes the horse will vanish as mysteriously as he appeared. Yet the animal remains, leaving him in a conundrum. Is the animal real, or a phantom conjured from imagination? As Al contemplates the horse’s existence—and what, if anything, he can do—his thoughts are interspersed with memories, from the moment his mother’s part-time boyfriend gifts him a 1959 butterscotch blonde Telecaster, to the day his travels begin. He joins various bands—all who perform his songs once they discover his talent–playing casinos, truck stops, clubs, and bars. He falls in love, and finds pockets of companionship and minor success along the way. Never close to stardom or financial success, he continues as a journeyman for decades until alcoholism and a heartbreaking tragedy lead him to the solitude of the barren Nevada desert.
A poignant meditation on addiction, heartbreak, and the reality of life on the road in smalltime bands, The Horse is a beautiful, haunting tale from an author working at the height of his powers.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Willy Vlautin turns the story of a life lived on music’s edges into a haunting examination of what it means to be alive in this captivating novel. Aging musician Al Ward has become a recluse, living in a shack by a deserted mine with just his guitar, a notebook, and some canned soup for company. Then a horse shows up outside his door, injured and possibly blind. Without a doubt, death is an option for both of these desperate creatures—but then, so is life. As a musician himself, Vlautin has no trouble grappling with an artist’s thoughts, fears, and regrets. Every song Al writes brings up a new memory of his doomed uncle or his ex-wife or a long, strange night in Reno. Vlautin blends all this into one bittersweet but ultimately hopeful story, writing with an authenticity that’s as indelible as a great song.
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.
Customer Reviews
Excellent book
I wasn’t expected this book to move me so much. Such an in-depth look into the struggles of humanity. Although much had me saying “Oh, no, Al!” I was equally caught smiling and warmed by the decency of humans. The storyline around songwriting was clever and I found Al’s life journey through music (the very nonfancy kind) captivating. Oh, and then the horse. A character who did little, but was so well written, I will always think of him when I see an old horse.
Couldn’t finish
This is one of the few books I have not waded through to the bitter end. By halfway through, it didn’t seem possible that the story was ever going to get going.