White Horse intrigued me with its mysterious cover. It follows Kari, an indigenous woman living in Colorado who is haunted by her past. Or rather her lack of a past because her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Her dad was stricken by grief and ended up in a car accident. Kari spent much of her life resenting her mom and being a caretaker. After some struggles with drugs, she has gotten her life together. She hangs with her best friend and cousin Debby, works as a waitress, and spends her free time drinking and reading horror novels. You can find her most days at her local native bar, The White Horse. Kari likes to avoid thinking about the past, but when Debby gives her a bracelet belonging to her mom, things get too hard to ignore. She starts having bloody visions of her mother. Kari isn’t sure if she is succumbing to mental illness, suffering from a brain tumor, or if wildly her mom’s ghost is communicating with her. She goes to the Native Center to retrace her mom’s steps, spurred on by Auntie Seeker. Debby encourages her to confront her family’s demons. Unfortunately, Debby’s asshole husband hates Kari and is jealous of all the time they spend together. Much of the novel is Kari navigating this dynamic while learning about herself and her mother.
I’ve always wanted to read more Indigenous authors. Bookstagram led me to this tale by Erika T. Wurth. It seemed right up my alley because I love horror and a good mystery. The mystery of Kari’s mother leads her to some dark memories, people, and spirits. It also brings her to The Overlook Hotel from The Shining. It’s one of Kari’s favorite books. I’ve seen the film and the miniseries, but this made me more curious to read Stephen King’s novel. Kari’s journey has many twists and turns, all leading to a reckoning with her past and what monster made her mom disappear. I loved the commentary on the urban native experience and what it means to deal with ancestral and familial trauma. It’s not all dark. There is a hopeful story about friendship and finding strength within yourself.
Read this if you’re down for a horror that’s more haunting than gore-y and interested in Native stories.