Clan of Book & Horselovers

Kasey Cox

Susan Williams’ novel Wind Rider garnered advance praise from two powerhouse names in contemporary literature – Jean Craighead George, best known as the author of the Newbery Medal-winning children’s classic, Julie of the Wolves; and Jean M. Auel, author of The Clan of the Cave Bear series. Both authors raved about Wind Rider, and for good reason.

Wind Rider takes place on the steppes of Stone Age Asia, although the exact place didn’t matter to me as I eagerly turned the pages of this beautiful and exciting story. I knew that the main character, pre-adolescent Fern, lived in an ancient world, with a group of people whose main focus must still be survival. Fern’s mother, Moss, had lost so many children during pregnancy, childbirth, and in their infancy, that their tribe allowed her to let both of her twins live – Fern, and her brother, Flint – to become the only set of twins among all their people. This immediately sets Fern a bit apart, but it is her personality, her desires, her gifts and longings that really make her unusual, much to the frustration of her mother.

Fern has an affinity for animals, whom she sees not just as food, but as friends. She cares for injured birds; has a dog who does not work as a hunting dog but is instead her pet and constant companion; and she is fascinated by horses. The difference between Fern and every other “girl who loves horses” book is this: no one in Fern’s tribe has ever tamed a horse. The exhilaration, the patience, the effort that is involved in the process, though, is a timeless story, one that echoes classics like The Black Stallion and My Friend Flicka. I also found some parallels to one of my favorites, The Little Prince, by St.-Exupery, in the process of taming something to become your friend, as well as your responsibility.

The voice that Susan Williams creates for Fern strikes in my head as both foreign and familiar. The rhythm and vocabulary of Fern’s first-person narrative reminds me of the speech of Native Americans, or the Maori of New Zealand, or other aboriginal peoples – beautiful but exotic to the ears of this WASP-y woman. Fern’s feelings, however, echo painful and true. Adolescents of both genders will sympathize with Fern’s frustrations and rebelliousness; women of all ages will appreciate her struggle to define herself as a person, both within and beyond gender roles. Fern chafes at the things that are expected of her as a young woman; though she loves her twin, she is jealous of the things he is allowed to do, and the opportunities his future seems to hold. Fern does not look forward to being a wife or a mother, dreads being tied down to caring for babies and men.

Kudos to the author for not leaving the story there, but showing how, as tragedy hits and as Fern nurtures her horse, Fern’s perspective grows on what it means to be a mother, a caregiver, and a member of a family and a tribe. Indeed, in many aspects, Williams creates a story that is simple on the surface, and truly enjoyable to read, but one which also addresses many deeper aspects of being human.