The God of Animals

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle was a freebie I acquired through one publishing event or another. It has been my most recent gym book, but I finished it up today when we were sent home from work due to a brush fire. I love LA! This book was a surprise--I didn't expect much, but it turned out to be a beautifully written, multi-layered story. Set on a horse farm in the desert, it is narrated by 12-year-old Alice Winston. Her family has fallen on hard times, with her father trying to rustle up new riding students to make ends meet. He finally signs up privileged Sheila Altman, whose mother's checks far outweigh her show potential.

Perceptions play an important part in this book. The characters try to hide the truth, but others are not as naive as they appear: from twelve-year-old Alice to the sheltered housewife to Alice's shut-in mother. When Alice's grandfather visits unexpectedly and asks how things are going, she replies, "We had the barn painted. The trailer too." "I saw that," he replies. "Everything's nice and shiny, all right." Through the book, Alice learns that you can't hide things from people. Towards the end, she says, "I wondered how I could have ever believed that I was protecting anyone from anything. The world was what it was. There were no secrets. There were only things that went unsaid."

Never having gone through the ubiquitous horse phase most girls seem to have, I didn't think I would relate to this world of riding lessons, grooming, and horse shows. But the writing was engaging and just about anyone can relate to what Alice is experiencing, from her school life to realizing her parents aren't perfect. I would recommend this coming-of-age tale to anyone looking for an easy but not frivolous read.