By Larissa Page
Chasing Painted Horses by Drew Hayden Taylor is not a book to be judged by its cover. The cover, up-close tree bark with a few squiggly lines of spray paint, gives nothing to indicate the incredible story that lies inside.
It opens with Ralph Thomas, an Indigenous man from the town of Otter Lake who grew up to be a police officer on the streets of Toronto. On his way home one cold day, he finds a large spray-painted horse on the side of a building that is a stunning replica of a significant drawing from his childhood in Otter Lake. When he discovers that the intuitive homeless man across the street has some clues to the origin of the horse, they begin a conversation over a Tim Horton’s coffee (a break from the cold harsh Toronto streets). From there we jump back to Ralph’s childhood and are introduced to the cast of characters that formed who he is today.
The novel focuses mostly on a single winter in Ralph’s childhood when he meets Danielle, a neglected child from a broken home and the creator of the Horse. The Horse, a drawing, becomes a character on its own, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. The Horse affects everyone in a different way, revealing true natures, and leading the children to discover realities of their world beyond what they’ve known. The Horse grows, and with it the children, and with it the story.
This novel is a literary masterpiece. It is deep and symbolic and meaningful, while also by turns funny, suspenseful, and gut-wrenching. The children’s view of the world and of problem-solving; their clear-cut solutions vs. the reality of the bureaucratic, adult side of decision-making are harsh reminders of the very real problems surrounding child welfare.
Ralph, William, Shelley, and Danielle are all very well-formed and well-thought-out child characters. They speak, sound, and think like people in their formative years. Each of them has a different life experience, and the way these experiences lead them to perform their actions is clear. They each experience immense growth through the events of that one winter and that is shown in their adult lives.
This novel is not linear. We know where each of the children end up right at the start, and then the novel shows us how and why. Despite this, Taylor manages to keep us in suspense throughout, which I found impressive.
This book was recommended to me last year and I didn’t rush to pick it up until it arrived in a book club box I received. Remembering the recommendation, I was excited to see what it had in store. I am surprised it didn’t get more attention upon publication, because it is an incredible story.