Horse People (2025) by Sara Warner is absolutely everything a stellar book should be. At times it moved me to tears. Other times the actions of villainous characters left me nauseous. I am a dog person and don’t know horses, yet I fell in love with the horses in this novel. Sara Warner helped me know these gorgeous creatures the way I know and love my dog. And you just can’t help but empathize with the gentle protagonist, Frank Grace.
When we meet Frank, he is returning from a long tour in Iraq where he worked as an accountant. Clearly, he is damaged by his experiences overseas:
“The deal with getting older, he thought, was that you were supposed to grow wise. The years of experience and study were supposed to bring perspective, balance. Instead, he found himself more and more wondering how to keep the things he knew from tipping him over the edge, dragging him into the abyss, the cosmic quagmire. His mind ran through the cliches of depression, wondering if everything that appeared meaningful was in fact trite, hackneyed. He realized he was in danger of losing all volition. After being in Iraq, so-called “normal” life seemed tinged with an aura of falseness, a shallowness he had not noticed before. And the energy required to maintain that life now felt absurdly out of proportion to its value. Something had to be worth going on for.”
His fragile psychological state sets off a major source of suspense. What happened to him over there? How does an accountant become so traumatized?
As Frank struggles to build a new life for himself, he decides to buy a horse. He realizes taking care of something will help him heal, and he has fond memories of horses from his youth. The author has already introduced us to the horses he will encounter at nearby stables. In fact, the first chapter is told from Penny’s, an injured mare’s, point of view. Several other chapters are told from the horses’ perspectives as well. We also meet Dannyboy, a bay gelding. These horses are kept in a riding stable owned by the cheapskate Mr. Price. He works them even when they are injured by the children taking riding lessons. Stable staff members do their best to care for the horses but have few resources available, like proper medical care.
Frank buys Dannyboy. He immediately hires veterinarian Velma to take care of the thrush infection on Dannyboy’s feet. What Frank doesn’t realize is that the gelding will be miserably lonely without his best pal Penny. Soon, Dannyboy escapes in an attempt to find his companion. Fortunately, the horse is found by responsible stable owners, Melani and Darbetta, who play important roles throughout the novel.
Meanwhile, Penny’s health deteriorates. Mr. Price orders Tancho, one of his staff, to send Penny to the “knackers,” the killers who dispose of old horses. And that introduces more suspense: will Penny be saved? Will Frank be able to track down Penny and reunite her with Dannyboy? Then ICE agents grab Tancho and arrest him. What will happen to Tancho—and his wife and two sons?
This novel is far more than simply a moving story about horses. It tackles the thorny issues of immigration in the United States. It is exceptionally timely and heartbreaking, considering how many people in this country currently live with the same fear of deportation that Tancho faces. The novel also tackles waste and greed surrounding the military industrial complex President Eisenhower warned about.
Horse People maintains tension and suspense throughout as you want to learn what will happen to the horses and the people. It is guaranteed to keep you reading as fast as you can turn the pages.
Sara Warner
Sara Warner, a lifelong horsewoman, is also the author of Still Waters, the environmental thriller that won the Next Generation Indie Book Award’s 2013 Grand Prize for fiction; and Down to the Waterline: Nature, Boundaries, and the Law in Florida. She has a Ph.D. in History, Theory, and Culture from Emory University and taught literature at Florida State University. She also served as a historical researcher for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Sara Warner lives on a horse farm in Mobile, Alabama, with her husband and fellow author P. V. Le Forge.
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