Pony Confidential

“We have flaws, yes, but we can choose to overcome them and change our destiny.” Christina Lynch’s “Pony Confidential” is a cosmic mystery novel that follows an unnamed pony on a quest for vengeance to find Penny, the girl who abandoned him when she was twelve years old. Twelve-year-old Penelope “Penny” Marcus was passionate about horses and racing. She worked at the stables, maintained straight A’s, and saved up enough money to purchase a pony. However, when Penny rides into the woods with Frank Ross, the owner of High Rise Farms, only she is found alive. Her parents, overwhelmed by the tragedy, sell their home and their pony and flee Ithaca, New York. Twenty-five years later, Penny is teaching third grade in a small California town. When her therapist reveals a confession from Penny’s childhood and suggests that Penny may have, at twelve years old, beaten a man to death, she is arrested and extradited back to Ithaca. Though she maintains her innocence, her memory of the event is hazy, and the evidence against her is mounting. She is labeled a flight risk and imprisoned. Meanwhile, Penny’s daughter, Tella, who struggles with auditory processing issues, is sent to a specialized school for mental health. Penny’s estranged husband, Laus, must now take on the responsibilities Penny once handled, including attempting to connect with their daughter—a task that Penny had always managed alone. Pony, described as “blazing incandescent gold with crème brûlée and burnt cork accents,” has resented Penny ever since she abruptly sold him. Since then, he has been passed through many owners, with names like Houdini and Sequoia—so many, in fact, that he has lost count. Fueled by bitterness and a desire for vengeance, Pony embarks on a cross-country mission to find Penny. Along the way, he is joined by a variety of animal companions, including Circe the goat and Caya the hound, a clear nod to the movie “Homeward Bound.” Together, the trio journeys to find Penny. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of Pony and Penny. Pony’s chapters focus on his relentless pursuit of Penny, traveling from city to city with the help of birds, sparrows, rats, and other horses. Meanwhile, Penny struggles in captivity, experiencing a form of treatment akin to that of a horse. Her criminal case appears grim; her public defender is overworked, and she is instead interviewed by a law graduate awaiting bar results. This graduate seeks a plea deal, which Penny refuses because she maintains her innocence. It becomes a race against time to save Penny and reunite her with Pony, but mistakes are made, and key witnesses die along the way. Lynch’s novel ultimately offers a feel-good story of Pony’s unwavering determination to find Penny. Initially, Pony is bitter, cynical, and transactional, believing all interactions must have an ulterior motive. As the story progresses, however, he begins to change, relying on the animals around him and softening in his outlook. Readers must suspend disbelief to fully enjoy the novel, as Pony’s cross-country adventure and his successes strain credibility. Still, Lynch’s storytelling draws readers in, making them root for Penny and Pony’s reunion. While the novel ties up all its storylines neatly at the end, the overly optimistic resolution detracts from the intended emotional punch. The story feels more like a cozy love tale between an owner and her pony, with a dash of mystery. However, I found myself wanting more: strife, turmoil, and depth. The lack of true tragedy and the sudden resolution of serious issues—such as marriage, adolescent mental illness, and exoneration—left me feeling disappointed by an ending that felt too perfect to be real. “Humans like to kill one another and us. They hate and fear anyone who is different.”