My immediate reaction upon finishing The Art of Racing in the Rain was to fling myself onto the floor where my dog Phineas lay chewing a bone and hug him, while tears streamed down my face. I’ve yet to control my sniffling even as I write this. For anyone who has ever had a dog, loved a dog, felt like that one animal understands you in a way that no human ever will, this is the novel for you. Yes, you will end like me, sobbing and clutching the dog you are so lucky to still have, but you will also be clutching the book, for it is at it’s heart a story of love and triumph and fighting for what you want no matter the cost.
Allow me to disengage from the emotion for a moment and actually proceed to detail. Garth Stein knows he is writing a book that will make the reader cry. He opens at the end so to speak, slipping us the knowledge that Enzo, beloved dog of Denny the racecar driver, is getting old and ready to die. It is only that first chapter where the reader is given foresight into the later novel, for the rest of the story continues, narrated by no other than Enzo himself. That’s right. The dog is protagonist, the narrator, and a damn good speaker when you get right down to it. Enzo tells of us his puppy days, of Denny choosing him and the life they live as bachelors together. Denny meets Eve, they marry, have a daughter, and Enzo is wrapped up in a loving family just ripe for some sort of drama to tear them apart.
This is Stein’s first triumph. Terrible things happen to Denny and his loved ones, things that I won’t get into because the reader deserves to be as sad and shocked as I was. It is Stein’s choice to keep his protagonists going, to not allow them to wallow as the rest of us might were our worlds to fall apart that makes him an excellent and insightful writer. Of course, it is Stein’s voice in Enzo, full of compassion, understanding, strong opinions and pieces of revealed truths. To see life from a dog’s point of view, to watch tragedy unfold alongside happiness is a remarkable thing, and will have you sitting at the kitchen table looking at your own dog and wondering what on earth they think of you.
What makes Enzo’s narration particularly stirring are his philosophical views of the world. He believes that upon his death he will come back to life as a man, and practices thinking and behaving as humanly as possible throughout his life. He watches television with Denny and takes in the facts of the world. He confronts the dark hopelessness that lies dormant within all of us, through a beautiful metaphor about a dancing zebra. He understands death and what it truly means to live, but also how to keep someone living. Enzo is Denny’s support system, and influential in almost every big decision, and plot twist, throughout the novel, drawing the reader in on Enzo’s side, so that we root for Denny.
Speaking of rooting for Denny, I come to Stein’s second triumph. The author can turn an inspirational phrase like he was born to do it. Denny is a racecar driver and as Enzo grows up, he becomes a racecar dog. He knows all the tricks, the skills, the moments of inspiration that keep a competitor going when all other hope and help is lost. The novel is littered with wonderful quotes about racing, such as a personal favorite, “There is no dishonor in losing the race, there is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” As a varsity rower who knows more about racing, and the pain, fear and ecstasy that comes along with it than I ever thought possible, every one of these tidbits hit home. Who cares if they were about racecar driving and not rowing? Any athlete will read the novel and apply every word to their sport. If they have a dog like I do then they probably won’t ever want to put the book down.
So really I don’t understand why you’re even still reading this review. Get in your car (pretend you’re a racecar driver for once in your life) and get a copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain. NOW! I don’t tell you to do this often…so take my word for it.
Author Garth Stein and his dog Comet
