30 Jul Book Review: On Swift Horses by Shannon Pufahl

Shannon Pufahl, a Midwesterner-turned-Stanford Stegner Fellow, made waves with her debut novel On Swift Horses (2019). Set in 1956, it explores the uncharted corners of desire, identity, and autonomy in a postwar West where the promise of freedom often clashes with societal boundaries. It earned praise for its lyrical prose and empathetic depiction of forbidden longings.

What’s it about?

The novel follows two parallel storylines tied by blood, geography, and the gamble of self-determination.

Muriel’s Path
Freshly married to Lee, a stable and dependable young man, Muriel leaves Kansas for a bungalow in San Diego, part of the burgeoning postwar dream. Though Lee offers comfort and promises, Muriel feels trapped. To reclaim a sense of agency, she slips away to the Del Mar racetrack, where she absorbs the rhythms of horse racing—odds, silks, whispers and wagers. Betting becomes her secret: a source of control, excitement, and rebellion, a way to shape her fate in a world that expects her to stay put.

Julius’s Journey
Lee’s twin brother, Julius, drifts through Muriel’s memories—magnetic, risk-taking, unmoored. He lands in Las Vegas, drawn to the electric energy of casinos and atomic test sunsets further out of town. In the casino’s elevated security booths, he meets Henry, a card-cheating young man. Against the backdrop of neon and radiation-bathed skies, Julius and Henry form a fierce, clandestine bond. As lovers, companions, partners in small thefts, they carve out a fragile world amid social erasure and looming danger.

Converging Tensions
Back in California, Muriel’s winnings surge—and so does her anxiety. She hides her bets from Lee while struggling with guilt over her growing independence. Learning that Julius has disappeared ignites fear that he might be lost or in danger. Meanwhile, Julius veers deeper into risk, chasing Henry into Tijuana, reckoning with what his freedom and identity truly cost him.

Desert Light & Reckoning
Under scorching sun and neon haze, both siblings face choices: to stay, to run, to risk everything, or to quiet their desires. Muriel sees herself balancing on that dusty edge—wife or wanderer? Julius asks himself what identity looks like beyond conformity. The novel culminates in moments of reckoning that are less climactic confrontation and more pulse-quickening revelation: the price of living by one’s desires, and the uncertain roads those lead us to.

What This Chick Thinks

A Western, Reimagined

This isn’t dusty cowboy grit—it’s the West filtered through longing and restraint. Racetracks and casinos stand in for wide-open desert, and atomic tests echo with destruction and possibility. The setting becomes a character in its own right—bleak, alluring, on the brink.

Desire Rendered in Lyric Detail

Pufahl’s writing glows: horses as “tall and obdurate,” neon lights reflecting personal truths, a sunset that feels “like a horse race… faster than memory.” The prose isn’t just painting the scene—it’s the emotional landscape of her characters.

Parallel Tracks of Risk

Muriel and Julius mirror each other: a woman hiding her power behind bets, a man fleeing his identity into forbidden love. Both pursue something external—winning, disappearing—but must turn inward to figure out what they truly want.

Queer Love That Doesn’t Cancel Its Setting

Their romance is intimate and dangerous—not tragedy porn. Julius and Henry’s bond is tender and hushed, a reminder of how love adapts under oppression. It’s authentic, and vulnerable, and sharply affecting.

Subtle Flaws, Not Fatals

Some readers note that pacing can feel diffuse, especially when lyric passages stretch over tension. A few strands—Muriel’s flirtation with a neighbor, the full arc of Julius’s journey—could have benefited from deeper resolution. But those variations feel like part of the book’s texture, not oversight.

Final Thoughts

On Swift Horses is haunting, elegant, and slow-burning. It asks what daring to choose yourself might cost—and if that cost is always worth it. Pufahl doesn’t offer easy answers, but she does give you characters who live, love, lose, and sometimes fly away. If you like historical fiction that feels intimate, emotional, and a little dangerous, this novel is for you.

Rating: 9/10

Try it if you like:

• The Night Watch by Sarah Waters – Atmospheric historical fiction exploring hidden identities and emotional shadows.
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – A lyrical reimagining of love and self-discovery in an unforgiving culture.
• His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie – Quietly profound exploration of autonomy, marriage, and societal expectations in Ghana.