Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Pages: 321
Genre: Animal Fiction
Publication Date: January 1, 2008
Story Perspective: First-Person
Themes: Loyalty, Family, Friendship, Grief, Sickness, Confusion, Love

Enzo, a lovable and intelligent dog, has witnessed a series of events that has happened to his loved ones. As he can see the end of his life, he reflects and shares what his family has gone through.

Recently, I was with my husband on a work trip, and I happened to stumble upon this book in a little borrowing nook at the hotel we stayed. I became excited as I’ve been meaning to read The Art Racing in the Rain for a while and decided to pick it up.

Having the narrator be Enzo, the dog, was both sweet and unrealistic at the same time. Enzo is a loyal and intuitive dog. He expresses at times confusion of what things mean and has an extra sense of knowing when dangerous situations are occurring. Both of these added a level of realism to Enzo’s perspective, as I’m sure most dogs have felt confusion and are sensitive to varying life events. However, at the same time, his intuitiveness was also a downfall in the story. He just seemed too aware and had too much of an understanding of lawsuits/court rooms proceedings, higher-level vocabulary words, and much information about race car drivers. Seeing how the book, I believe, is intended to be realistic fiction, this suspension of disbelief kept bothering me throughout as I continually had to remember that the narrator was a dog.

I felt the events in the story to be fairly exciting and made most of the book fast-paced. Between a family sickness, a lawsuit, and uncertainty for the future, much of the story speeds right through. On the other hand, aside from the unrealistic intelligence of Enzo, I also found many of the racing cars information slow and uninteresting. I can see the symbolism between racing cars and life, but I didn’t care to learn about the top racers or cars, in general.

Without giving too much away, the ending also left me with mixed feelings. I was on the verge of tears and heartbreak, but then that feeling was ripped pretty quickly from me. Then, I was left with uncertainty and just an odd feeling, in general.

Overall, this book had both its merits and its areas that could be improved. It was definitely a book that was quick and easy to read, I just wish it was presented a bit more realistically.