Book Review: The Outside of A Horse
Ginny Rorby
354 Pages
Recommended Reading Age 10 and up
“There’s nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse.” Old English Proverb
Hannah Gale is waiting for her father to return from Iraq. When he does, he is not the same man as when he left. He is broken inside, suffering from PTSD, and has a prosthetic leg from a roadside bombing. Hannah loves him but quickly begins to feel lost as he drowns himself in alcohol. Before he returned home, she began working at a nearby stable and learning about horses. Horses have always been a connection between her and her dad.
Her dad’s condition worsens and her stepmother leaves with her half-brother. Hannah tries to hard to keep things together but is quickly in over her head. She finally tells her friend at the barn what is going on, and she refers Hannah and her father to a friend who works with veterans with equestrians.
I had a lot of emotions reading this book. For Hannah, her father, the horses she has come to love. Having seen what horses can do to help heal the heart and mind, it was a perfect story at the right time. It also makes me angry that our country continues to treat veterans the way they do. I highly recommend this book. It is in my top picks for my February reads (will it land as the top? We’ll see).
I read this book on my Kindle via Kindle Unlimited.
