5/13/2023 0 Comments The Sport of Kings by C.E. MorganIt’s impossible to dismiss Henry as simply a monster or Henrietta as merely a victim, because the author conveys such an intimate understanding of these tortured people. Morgan’s ability to parse such moral complexities is even more evident as the incest continues into Henrietta’s 20s, and she retaliates through one-night stands with strangers. This refrain, decidedly self-serving when uttered by narcissistic Judith, later swells to a chorus of more justifiably bitter female voices. It’s his twisted way of reclaiming the girl from her mother, Judith, who exits the marriage bemoaning women’s hard lot in a man’s world. Henry’s sense of entitlement extends to his daughter Henrietta, with whom he first has sex when she is only 13. Yet he unquestioningly accepts his father’s belief that the world and all its fruits belong by natural right to white male aristocrats like themselves. Don’t be fooled by the title: “The Sport of Kings” is about horse racing the way “Moby-Dick” is about hunting whales.īreeding thoroughbreds is an act of rebellion for Henry Forge, whose 1950s childhood is dominated by a brutal father who proclaims their Kentucky estate must always be devoted to farming. Morgan’s majestic, sorrowful new novel transforms the saga of two families into a vast drama encompassing all of American history. Even more ambitious than her fine debut, “All the Living,” C.E.
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