RaveLos Angeles Review of BooksThe story, a near retelling of National Velvet, wears its heart on its sleeve, a quality that’s aroused surprised applause and a few sneers ... In The Mare, the author burdens her characters with the thorniest and most political obstacles to lasting love: race, class, culture ... Love in The Mare is more constant and accessible than in Gaitskill’s previous work, and characters are more vocal about their affections, but the lens trained on it is no kinder ... To be a reader of Gaitskill and, perhaps, a balanced human, you agree to tolerate simultaneous realities.
