Read: October 21, 2011
Summary: From the perspective of a dog, we follow the life of Denny, a semi-professional race car driver. Enzo, the dog, is unique in every way: he speaks with the depth of the human spirit, he educates himself by watching television, and by listening carefully to the words and actions of his owner, Denny. He also has a natural racing ability and takes great pride in Denny’s career. Through Enzo and Denny, we learn the art of race car driving. There are a lot of comparisons between racing and life. The techniques, lessons and comparisons made throughout the book provide successful navigations through life’s ups and downs as shown through Denny’s life.
The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel
My Thoughts: Overall, I thought the story was captivating which made the book quick to get through. The comparisons between race car driving and life were interesting and made the book more relatable. At times, the comparisons were too philosophical. I don’t follow race car driving so the incorporation of these elements was also fascinating. I did google some of the race car driver names mentioned in the book to know more details as to why the dog thought they were great drivers. Using Enzo’s view of the world as a dog and attributing human reactions and emotions to his character was definitely a plus when reading this book. The human elements allowed the dog to communicate with actions to his owner as well as other humans to illustrate his thoughts. Speaking to co-workers and friends about this book who have dogs, they’ve often wondered what their dog thinks and they have related to this book on a deeper level than I have. I think this book would be great for a weekend read or at the end of a stressful day. It’s not an complicated story and the language is easy to read as well.
