The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Reviewed By: Jacob Roberts, Adult Services Reference Assistant
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this Book About?: Enzo is a philosophical dog that is driven by his innate belief that he will one day be reincarnated as a human-being. With this in mind, he attempts to live up to the example his master, Denny has placed before him, only to discover that not all humans are like Denny. Through many racing metaphors and increasingly deep family ties, Enzo soon realizes to be human is much more complicated than he could have ever imagined.
My Review: Garth Stein takes a risk in The Art of Racing in the Rain, when he decides to place the reader in the mind of man’s best friend. This perspective may come off a bit unusual at first; however, it is soon evident that in order to accurately and justly comment on the human nature around us, the perspective must come from an outside source. With Enzo’s perspective, all of the flaws and novelties of the human nature become overwhelming obvious, naïve, terrifying, and even admirable. The gift of Enzo’s perspective to the reader is that Enzo is so much more than a dog—he is the central moral code of the story. Enzo brings hope when things seem hopeless, he brings admiration where we see flaws, and he brings love when so many have forgotten what it felt like when it all began. Stein crafts an excellent plot that takes the reader on an emotional ride of joy, tears, laughter, and renewed hope in this now major motion picture, The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Three Words That Describe This Book: fast, warm-hearted, cold-hearted
Give this a try if you like… Boomer’s Bucket List by Sue Pethick, A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron or The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse by Alexander McCall Smith
Rating: 4/5
