Windflower Fugue

Windflower Fugue is the story of one irrepressible and ultimately inspirational Appaloosa mare called Windflower. Named after the anemone flower, she is an indomitable spirit living at the Wildwood Ranch, six acres of wild beauty beside the sea in the Pacific Northwest. The parallel saga is of two equally intrepid souls, Helmi Seaborne and Knute Corsun, Windflower's owner-handlers and her avid admirers, and their amorous adventures. Windflower Fugue operates on two different levels which is reflected in the dual nature of the title. Echoing the fugue-like sound of the pounding surf is the sound in the background throughout the novel, lending a certain rhythmically musical quality. The other half of the title's meaning is based on a psychological phenomenon known as an hysterical fugue. Windflower experiences the equine equivalent of this rare state. Windflower, the horse, is merely a metaphor for the underlying layer running throughout the novel, illustrating that all living creatures are endowed with the same power of overcoming equally insurmountable odds. Windflower rises above unfathomable adversity in order to miraculously deliver her foal, just as Helmi discovers she, too, is going to be giving birth to her own baby and, in the end, they emerge triumphant.