Warfield’s Jarret, Ten Broek’s Jarret, and Alexander’s Jarret: the chapter titles in this unforgettable novel are chilling once you know what they refWarfield’s Jarret, Ten Broek’s Jarret, and Alexander’s Jarret: the chapter titles in this unforgettable novel are chilling once you know what they refer to. Jarret is a dignified black man who is a slave to these three masters through the course of the novel, after narrowly missing a chance to become a free man near the beginning. Jarret has a deep, intuitive knowledge of racehorses and works as a groom taking care of an extraordinary horse called Lexington, a horse that wins every race it runs by several lengths and will go on to become the greatest stud sire in history. Jarret and Lexington have a uniquely close bond, and Jarret risks all to protect the horse.
Also in this 1850s plot line is Thomas Scott, an equestrian artist, who paints Lexington several times, often with Jarret in the frame, holding his reins. These paintings inspire the modern plotlines, with a tough 1950s New York gallery owner, Martha Jackson, risking her business for a painting of Lexington, and a present-day Nigerian-American art historian Theo Northam, coming across one abandoned in the street. Also in the present-day plot is an Australian osteologist, Jess, who finds the skeleton of Lexington in an attic at the Smithsonian and begins the process of articulating it to try and understand what made this horse such a great champion.
Geraldine Brooks deftly contrasts racism in 1850s America, just before the Civil War, with that in contemporary America, and shows that injustice and innate prejudice still prevail in the 21st century. Even Jess makes racist assumptions and, as her relationship with Theo develops, he worries that she will never be able to understand what life is like for a black man in that country.
An author’s note at the end explains that many of the characters are based on real people. The research behind this novel was clearly prodigious and the detail about horses is particularly impressive. I was also interested in the build-up to the Civil War, which many black characters viewed with alarm, guessing it could make their situation worse before it got better. I was horrified but not surprised by the brutal treatment of horses who were pushed to the limit and beyond to win a few bucks for their owners at the races. I cared about all the characters, but the beating heart of the novel is the beautiful bond between Lexington and Jarret. That’s what will stick in mind for a long time, and that’s what makes me want to explore more of Geraldine Brooks’s novels. ...more
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