A couple of months ago, my mother began telling me about
how much she enjoyed a book she had read because it was told from the point of
view of a dog. My mother has never been the biggest reader; not many catch and
hold her attention enough to begin, let alone to finish. That being said, the
fact that she enjoyed the book enough to share it with me piqued my interest.
The book was called “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, written by Garth Stein.
I must admit that part of the enchantment of this book
came from my mother reading the first thirty or so pages to me while I was in
hospital waiting to be taken in for a surgical procedure. No matter how old you get, there’s something
ineffable and special about your mother reading a story to you.
The language was delightful and unique. The voice of Enzo
as our faithful narrator tells the story of his life with his human, Denny, and
their lives together from Enzo’s perspective. Anyone who is an animal, and
particularly a dog lover will probably appreciate this special voice.
Denny, a hopeful race car driver looking for the path
that would literally put him in the driver’s seat and where he could show his
stuff, is painted into a corner by his in-laws and struggles to fight a bitter
custody battle for his daughter, Zoe. Frustrating as certain parts of the book
inevitably were, such as Denny’s arrest for a crime he did not commit, all for
the sake of discrediting him and severing forever from a full relationship with
Zoe.
Enzo enlightens the reader on all that he has learned and
continues to learn throughout the book, gives his opinions freely, has his own
theories and beliefs, and loves race car driving. Some of the more racing heavy
parts of the book were lost on me as far as entertainment value, but certain
aspects stuck with me. An often repeated phrase and one of the racing points
that Enzo shares with the reader is “where the eyes go, the car goes”. Other
tokens like “there is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in
not racing because you are afraid to lose” add to the message that Enzo tries
to relate the reader throughout the novel.
The chapters are pretty short and easy to get through,
and it was very easy to be finished with the book before I knew it. The only
time I wasn’t eating up the pages was when things were most frustrating in the
story.
In the end though, I rather enjoyed the story of Enzo’s
life with Denny. The last couple of chapters are tear jerking, especially for a
dog lover; saying good bye is never easy. The very end though is what will
capture your heart if a “good feeling” book is what you’re looking for.