Review: Honey And The Valley Of Horses


As a young tween, the closest phenomena I encountered resembling pestilence and epidemics was the odd mouse and locust plague. Both highly irregular, indescribably disturbing occurrences that eventually, mercifully passed. For the generations before me, war assumed similar levels of upheaval and unrest. Imagine though being born into an era of extreme disruption, disease and prolonged uncertainty as your 'new normal' as  recently experienced by many modern-day Gen Alphas. How would you function? What expectations of the future would you possess? Would you want to escape to a better place?

This is the unspoken premise of Wendy Orr’s latest middle grade fiction, Honey and The Valley of Horses. ‘Horses’ was my immediate pull card as I’m sure it will be for hundreds of equine enthused fans but the horses in Honey’s tale are much more than decorative incidental whimsy. They inhabit an enchanted valley and hold the key to the family’s survival and subsequent escape.

Beset by the constant threat of illness and decline of the human race, Honey’s family, along with grandmother, NanNan decide to pack up their converted ice cream van and drive off into the sunset in search of a better existence. Honey is just four when she and her baby brother, Rumi, accompany their parents into the unknown to survive for goodness knows how long and somehow prosper. It’s a far cry from common sense but the sheer tenacious positivity and, it has to be said, ingenuity of them all, achieves that very purpose.

For the next seven years, the family not only survive, they assimilate so absolutely into the Valley’s paradisaical nuances, that, for the children at least, the before world ceases to exist, except as the strange fairytale recollections of the adults which the children find hard to believe. In the Valley of Horses, they have everything they need: plentiful food, an enriching environment and of course, horses which they all learn to communicate with, ride and learn from. These huge beautiful steeds appear almost mystically, remaining aloof but ever present to ‘magically’ assist the family in their day-to-day lives.

Orr handles the seven-year stint with can-do-realism and practical exposition that loosens up as the story accelerates towards a hair-raising climax. Despite the ambrosial existence, lessons for learning are still enforced by Mumma (with her wild ponytail 😉*) and chores are strictly adhered to. But perhaps what is most interesting is that absolute lack of entitlement Honey and Rumi assume. Theirs is a world of perceived freedoms and divine privilege. They know no different having zero comprehension of modern devices or the value humanity placed upon them. They eat off the land with no concept of that which lives outside of their frames of reference like … the taste of ice cream! Living their best lives equates to thrilling rides abreast their favourite horses and climbing the sturdy branches of the giant mango tree under which they reside. Can you imagine …

The artful turning of a dystopian future on its head enables Orr to explore the removal of technology and modern anchors and its effect on young people whose foremost inclinations are not to swipe devices and barter for more screen time but to glory in nature and function within a family unit for the betterment of each of its members. Honey and the Valley of Horses invites introspective thought accompanying it with lashings of age-appropriate adventure and fantasy to boot.

It is not just a tale of placid escapism for when Honey’s father falls gravely ill, the need to relinquish paradise and escape the inescapable becomes a matter of life and death. Again, the horses aid the kids in achieving what none of them could do for the past seven years; find a way out of the Valley.

Will Honey ever live to experience the sweet sensation of ice cream or be trapped in an eutopia we can only dream of? Honey and the Valley of Horses is an exciting expedition into the surreal realities of imagination with just enough familiarity to give it plausibility. Oh, and let’s not forget – beautiful horses!

Title:  Honey and the Valley of Horses
Author:  Wendy Orr
Publisher:  Allen & Unwin, $17.99
Publication Date:  1 August 2023
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761068492
For ages:  9 – 13
Type:  Middle Grade Fiction

Buy the Book: Allen & Unwin, Boomerang Books

*Allusion to the author’s inspiration for describing Mumma’s hair. ðŸ˜Š

 

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