The Art of Racing in the Rain

I have just finished this amazing book for the second time and realized I have not yet done my part to spread the word about it. For that, I am ashamed.

First off, The Art of Racing in the Rain is not an instructional book of car control in wet weather. Far from it. Yes there is a dog on the cover. No he is not the one doing the racing. He is, however, the driving force of this book. Just a few minutes into this novel and, if you have pets, you will look at them and wonder what's going on inside that head (if you don't do that on a regular basis already, that is).

Enzo the Dog is the narrator and primary character, but this is a story about faith, life and struggle. Its the story of a family who is first brought together by love and respect, then torn apart by tragedy and loss. That it is seen through the eyes of a dog is both irrelevant to the story and yet intrinsic to the telling. You're never allowed to forget who's thoughts you are sharing through the novel and Stein pulls it off with great doses of humor, insight and despair.

Denny Swift is an aspiring race car driver when he picks up his new best friend. Enzo is always at his side while Swift relaxes at home and watches recorded in-car footage of his races and those of others. But Denny is not the only one learning from these sessions. Enzo soon realizes he has much to learn about us from our televised entertainment.

But I'm not going to retell the story, here. Instead, I am going to tell you to get off the computer and go out and buy this book. (Unless, of course, you would prefer to buy it online.) It's not just for racing fans. It's not just for dog lovers. It is for both, and for all those who enjoy a good, well crafted story. Yes, I could predict the ending of this novel as easily as I could predict the outcome of a race between a moped and an F1 race car. That's usually a major minus, for me. The difference, here, is that I never wanted that ending to come. You won't either.