Jarret’s father, a freed slave, trained race horses at the stables of some of the very rich slave owners. He passed on his skills onto Jarret who then endured both good and bad masters until he gained his freedom by escaping to Canada during the American Civil War. Brooks explores the resilience needed by slaves to survive the cruel work expectations and punishments they received under this blighted labour system.
In the 2000s Theo, a black PhD student, picks up an old painting of a horse from a dumpster and shows it to Jess, an Australian working at the Smithsonian Museum in Maryland. She reconstructs animal skeletons for display and between them they discover it’s a portrait painted of Lexington with Jarret, his groom, beside him. As well, Lexington’s forgotten skeleton is discovered in one of the museum's storerooms.
Brooks sensitively explores the world of slavery in the American south in the 1850s, keeping readers in suspense about Jarret’s eventual fate. She also presents a fascinating picture of the research undertaken to discover the identity of the horse, the picture’s painter and the eventual restoration of Lexington’s skeleton for display in the museum with a full history of its origins.
A good read that holds your attention even if you are not interested in horse racing or a history of slavery.
Next months book is: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, a family saga of a Caribbean matriarch’s journey through life.
Meg Dillon