Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain


The Art of Racing in the Rain
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

The first few pages of  Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" didn't really grab me. This is a book about a family told through the eyes of a dog. The dog's philosophizing was a bit too much, although Stein eases up on the "meaning of life" speech and gets stuck into the guts of the story within a few pages.

The bulk of the story, and Enzo the dog's take on things, was well written, occasionally funny, and quite engaging. The reader really gets to know the characters and empathize with them. I particularly enjoyed the car-racing analogies, which were welcome interludes, but not overdone. Despite it's beginning, the author did a good job of balancing Enzo's philosophical thoughts on life with events and action, resulting in a story that moves along and doesn't get bogged down.

Here's a video trailer of the "The Art of Racing in the Rain":


Spoiler Alert!
I felt that the story's conclusion was somewhat predictable. It tries to leave the reader with a warm and fuzzy feeling, which is disappointing because it let down a very intelligent plot. I think that mature readers could deal with a less fairy-tale ending.
End Spoiler Alert!

Cleverly, Garth Stein produced a version of the book called "Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog", the same story, but adapted for younger readers. Scenes in the regular version of the book can be a bit adult at times (though not explicit), but the basic story-line would appeal to teens as well. I could see the youth version of this book being used as a reading text for high-school English classes. Although not a work of literary genius, there is a lot in it to analyze.

In summary, "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is certainly a book worthy of your time.

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