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Mare by Emily Haworth-Booth review
Where does it come from, this passion for an animal that isn’t even hers? An astonishing debut delves into deep truths about love, motherhood and care
TL;DR
- The novel "Mare" explores a woman's confrontation with early menopause, a creative block, and her developing passion for a horse.
- It examines the experience of childlessness, contrasting different perspectives on motherhood and the narrator's fear for a child's future in a troubled world.
- The narrator finds solace and purpose in caring for a 14-year-old mare, spending time feeding, grooming, and mucking out, which becomes a central focus of her life.
- The stable is depicted as a unique environment, a 'mythical realm' populated by women who share a ritualistic connection with horses.
- The book highlights the ambiguous nature of horses as powerful yet dependent creatures, mirroring the narrator's own feelings of being unmoored.
- Ultimately, the novel suggests that profound love and meaning can be found in arduous, unasked-for, and unrewarded care, representing 'the shape of the real'.