If you've followed my book thoughts over the years, you'll know that Willy Vlautin is among my absolute favourites. His stories have turned me inside out and he has the power to squeeze a tidal wave of emotion from only a few words and observations.
Like I've done with his last few novels, I left this to one side until a time that I either felt I needed it or at a point when I was beginning a story of my own in the hope that something might rub off on me. And here I am, recently finished the last page and wondering what to make of it all.
The reviews have been tremendous and there's a hatful of quotes on the book in the promotion and online. It's also been lauded by lots of authors I like and respect, so it's clearly a work of significant merit. The thing is, I'm not quite in line with those folk. It's true that I enjoyed many things here and that there were spells where I was totally involved, yet I don't think I got as much from it or was as compelled to keep reading when compared to any of his others.
I wonder if my response to the novel relates to the structure. The Horse tells the life story of Al Ward, visiting sections of his time on Earth while he frets about the horse he has found near his home, a beast that appears to be on its last legs and, not unlike Al himself, seems to have given up on living. Some of the episodes are long and detailed, other are fleeting. There's definitely a sense that everyone has an extraordinary journey in life and a that there's a need for all of us to understand that a life lived will involve struggle somewhere along the way. The characters Al recalls experience difficulties with drink, drugs, self-doubt, money, love, depression, the law and general misfortune. Many are creative people and their drive to become successful or to manage to get by doing what they love sometimes keeps them going and sometimes trips them into their inevitable demise.
Al is clearly a nice guy. Everyone thinks so. There's something special about him. Perhaps it's the natural tendency to give others the time of day that does it, or the sadness that comes across in the songs he writes, but he's good to hang around with as a friend, in a band or as a reader.
What I wasn't so sure of was the melodramatic element of the story. There were times when I felt I was being set up for a fall. I don't mind that so much and it happens to me frequenlty, but not so much in Vlautin's work.
And the ending is something worthy of discussion, though that's problematic in that I don't want to spoil things for anyone. I know that there were many readers out there who were absolutely gutted by the denoument of the wonderful Don't Skip Out On Me and that it took me a while to recover after I read that one. The Horse has a very different vibe to it, a finale that I wasn't expecting and found oddly unsatisfying. Maybe it's just me.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend you read this. More importantly, if you're new to Willy Vlautin, you should absolutely give it a go. It is, in fact, a very good place to start. The poetic prose and emotional turbulence will make you want to take other journeys with him and (in my opinion) if you do, you'll only find greener pastures.
