The Loneliness of Horses
Andrea Thalasinos’s novel The Loneliness of Horses follows two animal-loving women in Canada.
When Belle leaves Scotland in 1778 searching for a different life, she doesn’t know what she will find. Her horses bring her company even when her new husband and isolation in remote Nova Scotia do not.
Evie flees Arizona in 1972 seeking safety for herself, her son, and her animals. What she finds is far from safe. Still, she builds a life rehabilitating animals and people, even if it is at the expense of her happiness.
The book’s detailed descriptions of idyllic settings are immersive—and crucial to its characterizations. Indeed, the cliffs along the Atlantic Ocean and Four Winds Stables link Belle and Evie across time. Knowing that the air they breathe and that the domestic and wild animals that roam the land link them creates a robust understanding of time and place. Living in the same home adds another layer to their storied connections.
Both Belle and Evie build homes and relationships before they accept their realities, but these features don’t change who they are. Time is their only impetus; they are already the people they need to be. Their parallel stories, toughness, and stubbornness to survive are the book’s connective tissue. Further, their strength exists in stark contrast to the helplessness and abuse of the men around them. They stand up for themselves and speak up for others, including animals. At times, both women sink inward, but they always regain the strength to leave and fight for what they believe in most. Tied together by the land, these women are worth celebrating.
In the powerful novel The Loneliness of Horses, flinty, kind women forge their ways in the world, even when their surroundings make it difficult.
Reviewed by
Addissyn House
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
