Berkley Pub
Nov 5th, 2024
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch is a book about a pony who solves a murder. It is a tale of forgiveness, betrayal, and love.
“I wrote a mystery told from the point of view of a pony loosely based on the Odyssey. I was teaching world literature at a college. Both the students, and I really loved the Odyssey. It is the story of Odysseus trying to get home after the Trojan War but keeps getting waylaid. Each of the challenges that he faces illustrates something different about him and tests his resolve. This is similar to the pony where he faces an inner and outer journey where he wants to go back home to Penny, his long-lost person. Just as Odysseus longs to be back home, so does the Pony in this book.”
“It in some ways an updated Black Beauty, but funny. The pony is iconic in people’s minds, because everyone wants to have one for Christmas. There are pony birthday parties and pictures of children on them. But does anyone think of what happened to them when they are no longer useful. What if there is a pony who wanted to get back to the one little girl he really loved.”
Lynch has loved horses since she was a child, and it comes across in this story. “I was the pony obsessed little girl who never got the pony. When I was a child, I had friends who had ponies like the one in the book, throwing them off and doing whatever they want. But as an adult I still longed for ponies. I have had horses since my mid-twenties and now have three horses and two ponies.”
Just to clarify. A pony versus a horse is not the same as a puppy versus a dog. The author explained, “A pony is not a baby horse, but a small horse. This is a misunderstanding. Young horses are called colts and fillies. The “pony breeds” are really smart and resourceful. Ponies look cuddly and cute, but they are not always. They are very savvy little creatures. Pony refers to a size measurement. Horses are measured in hands. Ponies are basically 58 inches, two hands. The pony breeds include Shetlands and Welsh ponies.”
The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspective of the “Pony” and his first owner, Penny. When readers first meet “Pony” they see him as bitter, stubborn, cynical, and greedy. Pony got sold without warning when Penny was twelve. Pony has constantly been passed over from many different owners, and now he is fed up, determined to find the only girl he ever loved, Penny. He decides to go on a cross-country mission to find her.
“I did not name the pony because I wanted him to not have a name. I wanted him to be every pony. When ponies change owners, they usually get a new name. Ponies get passed around and around, are sold or given away because children outgrow them. The pony in the story has many names including Houdini, Sequoia, O, and Sidekick. He is motivated by anger and revenge. He is also smart and funny.”
Readers first meet Penny as she is being arrested by the police for a murder that she may have committed when she was 12 years old, after supposedly confessing to a therapist. She is whisked back to Ithaca, NY, where she grew up. Sitting in jail waiting for the trial, her only comfort from the past is the memory of her precious pony.
“Penny is the original owner whose happiest time of her life is when she was a child. Her adult life is not what she expected. Penny’s view of the world is informed by her time with her pony. Readers meet her on the worst day of her life, being arrested for a murder. The role of the murder is what drove Penny and the Pony apart and is also what brings them back together.”
Pony has some conversations with other animals and finds out that that Penny did not abandon him and is now accused of murder. He decides his mission is to try to clear her name. Pony enlists the help of other animals to help solve the crime and reunite Penney’s family by proving her innocence. This might remind people of the book, Homeward Bound. Both Pony and Penny, must navigate their own set of challenging circumstances to find each other and prove Penny’s innocence.
“I did think about the story Homeward Bound with the three animals, Pony, Caya, the bloodhound dog, and Circe, the goat. Circe is the most cynical while Caya is the most optimistic and hopeful. Circe represents those among us who think people are not basically good in terms of world views, while Caya is the person among us who think people who are basically good.”
Pony Confidential is about a pony solving a murder, so readers should have suspended disbelief from page one. There is humor, charming animals, ridiculousness, and the relationship between humans and animals, both positive and negative.
