On Swift Horses

This densely atmospheric debut sinks its hooks deep into post-war America’s tender underbelly, exposing the homophobia and bigotry beneath a nation’s renewed spirit of hope and opportunity. Muriel and Julius are restless outsiders, siblings-in-law who share a passion for gambling as well as their more furtive passion. Both are trying to make their own opportunities to find love and happiness—a gamble that one will unexpectedly win and one will just as unexpectedly lose. An immersive and rewarding first novel.

At its most basic, On Swift Horses is the story of two people, Julius and Muriel, connected by time and circumstance only to orbit each other throughout most of the book. On a deeper level, Pufahl has created a powerful depiction of the American West after WWII and explores the ways in which men and women existed in the margins of society. I was gutted by this novel and will return to it again and again.