A Photo Finish

One of the two narrators and protagonists of A Photo Finish is Violet, a young jockey. Violet’s point of view occurs in two timelines: in the narrative present, when she’s a jockey working at Gold Rush Ranch, and in the flashback timeline, which follows her before her employment at Gold Rush Ranch until she becomes a novice jockey who rides the racehorse Double Diablo (DD).

Chronologically, Violet’s first appearance in the novel is when she decides to post a topless photograph on an online platform, wishing to push herself out of her comfort zone. She spent her childhood feeling “coddled” by not only her father but also her older brothers, who were excessively protective of her largely because their mother died while giving birth to her. Though Violet doesn’t necessarily blame her family for their overprotectiveness—and can, in certain cases, acknowledge that it helped or comforted her—she seeks to prove herself as someone who can solve her own problems and chart her own path.

Violet’s resistance to being cared for causes her trouble after she fractures her leg while riding DD. She becomes resentful both when Cole tries to offer her aid and when he acts thoughtlessly in ways that stymie her, such as when he unthinkingly puts her painkillers on a shelf that’s too high for her to reach.