The Moon Horse by Tanya Kern
What's It About?
A woman with a passion for animals struggles through two doomed relationships while training her new horse.“How I love this horse! We gaze at the pink mesas and the distant blue mountains in the morning light. I always feel such joy when I am in harmony with Kamar.”
This is what life is meant to be for Toni, the protagonist in Tanya Kern’s debut novel The Moon Horse (Sunstone Press). Yet the euphoria she feels on the back of her beautiful Arabian horse doesn’t come easy. In fact, one wonders as she painfully struggles through two doomed relationships whether she will ever feel it at all.
Men & Horses
To set the scene, Toni tells us from the outset that she was raised by nonconformist parents in a counterculture world, and her father believed in “intentional poverty.” Toni always is good at expressing her feelings but not so good about making ends meet. Working as a belly dancer and living on and maintaining a ranch in a small town in New Mexico is not an easy feat.
She also is not so good in relationships and finds herself drawn to two men, both of whom seem wrong for a loving, caring woman. She lives with Pearce, but his musical career and alcoholism take priority over Toni’s needs and his love for her. Then there’s her ex-boyfriend JJ, a drug addict who keeps turning up hinting at getting back together.
Toni’s great passion is her love for animals in general and horses in particular. She relates to them far better than the men in her life. Referring to her white Arabian, Silvano, in order to get inside his head, she says, “I put myself in his horseshoes…” She feels Silvano is lonely and needs a mate and is determined to find one, despite Pearce’s insistence that she doesn’t have the money to make it work. Or is it just that Pearce does not support her in her love for horses?
Much of the narrative involves Toni wrestling with her feelings about Pearce and JJ. While there is something she will always love in both of them, trouble always seems to be lurking around the corner. One of the great strengths of this book is getting inside Toni’s head and hearing her realize and rationalize where each relationship is likely headed — it is hard for her to break away completely.
Rebirth of Hope
And then there’s Kamar, her new horse, which she loves with a passion even though training him is a rough task. It is with Kamar that her heart truly lies. “Kamar” is Arabic for “the moon.” The moon, she says, “represents rebirth of hope, the possibility of transcending the past and the ability to start again, even after disaster and failure.”
In Kamar, she sees a new chance for her life after failed attempts with Pearce and JJ. But how do those new chances materialize? Are there obstacles in the way? How will one particular incident affect the path to Toni’s rebirth?
The Moon Horse is a revealing study of a woman seeking peace in her life — in a world swayed by her upbringing and the early influence of her Bohemian parents. But it is more than that. It’s a story for anyone who has ever loved animals and has appreciated their power and beauty. It is written with intricacy and grace about a character with substance and purpose — and a vulnerability that makes readers care about her and root for her all along the way.
About Tanya Kern:
Tanya Kern is a professional dancer and a certified Hatha Yoga instructor who loves animals and nature. She was raised by a single mother who taught her that she can achieve anything her heart desires as long as she perseveres and believes in her capabilities as a woman. To learn more, visit her website.
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