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

C 2019 Pages 352

Goodreads Rating: 4.22

I love dog stories! And, ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ by Garth Stein is the best! Enzo is different from other dogs, and most importantly, He knows it! He is a philosopher, he is highly educated (by watching TV), and he is family oriented. He loves his master, Denny Swift, who is a race-car driver. And, he has become very protective of Eve, Denny’s young wife and Zoe, their daughter. Working, racing, and playing with Zoe is their way of life, and they love it. Until Eve starts having uneasy feelings that Enzo senses is not good. A sudden illness brings bad news.

The young family struggles after finding Eve has brain cancer and doesn’t have much time. Then Eve’s parents do the unthinkable and file for custody of Zoe. With Denny always traveling with his racing team, they just don’t feel he can be the single parent he needs to be. The pain of love and loss is great for both Denny and Enzo. A great listener Enzo is, but if only he could talk and share some of his philosophical insights into racing, the family, and the world. If only humans could understand the art of listening and expressing their love as dogs do. If only… Another beautifully written story as told by Enzo himself that I know you will enjoy. Grab a box of Kleenex! You will need it!

Garth Stein lives in Seattle with his family. He is co-founder of Seattle/Writers.org, a non-profit collective of 74 Northwest authors working together to energize the reading and writing public. Check out more information and his novels on his website. www.garthstein.com.