The Invisible Horse

Lynn Manuel, the author of Return to Cranberry Farm, writes mystery
novels for young adults.

When a teenager named Kate is left totally blind by an accident,
everything changes for her and for her family. Not only is Kate forced
to adjust to an invisible world, but she also has to cope with her
parents’ impending divorce and a move to a small cabin in the country.
The novel’s strength lies in its touching portrait of young Kate. The
complicated emotional struggles resulting from her blindness and the
guilt she feels over her parents’ separation are handled with great
sensitivity and realism. When she buys a horse named Tweed, he becomes
her “bike with eyes.” The plot revolves around the love that
develops between them in their need for each other. There is no
miraculous return of vision to undermine the credibility of the story.

Unfortunately, the subplot involving the parents’ separation does end
with an all-too-sudden and too-easy resolution: the separation papers
are allowed to burn in a bonfire as the parents are reunited. A far more
meaningful ending might have been Kate’s acceptance of her father’s
new life and his failings, and her father’s acceptance of her
blindness.

Although the pace is slow, this will be rewarding reading for 10-
to14-year-olds.