Literary Fiction · ThoughtfulFour horse races, and the people at a struggling racetrack who bet on them
Lord of Misrule
by Jaimy Gordon
A run-down racetrack, four races, and the people whose lives depend on them
The novel takes place at a racetrack that has seen better days. It is divided into four sections, and each is built around one of four horse races. Many characters in turn take the point of view, so the book shows the track from several sides at once.
More about this book
Who
A cast of people who work at and around the racetrack, among them a character named Tommy.
World
A struggling racetrack, as the novel's four races come up one after another.
What makes it different
The novel has four parts, each tied to one race, and moves among several points of view.
Feel
Rough and colorful. It won the 2010 National Book Award for Fiction, a surprise that left the publisher short of copies.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Lord of MisruleWikipedia