Horse: A Novel

A discarded painting, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history form the basis of this novel that weaves together multiple timelines across American history. In Kentucky in 1850, an enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal develop a bond that carries the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the Civil War begins, a young artist who has gained recognition painting the racehorse joins the Union Army and reunites with the stallion and groom far from any racetrack. In 1954 New York City, gallery owner Martha Jackson becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of unknown origin. In 2019 Washington, DC, Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, discover an unexpected connection through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power, the other uncovering the history of the Black horsemen critical to his racing success. Based on the true story of the thoroughbred Lexington, the novel explores art and science, love and obsession, and America's unfinished reckoning with racism. Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award; finalist for the Chautauqua Prize; and a Massachusetts Book Award Honor Book.