This book is partially based on a Mongolian film that says that if dogs are good, when they die, they will be reincarnated in human form. Therefore, throughout the whole book the dog, Enzo, does everything possible to ensure he will become a person after death. This book is significant in the fiction genre as it gives a fresh and almost unheard of perspective in a fun and intriguing story.
I think every part of the plot worked, no parts stood out to me as not good. The scenes always being told in Enzo's perspective and the characters being described to the reader by him as well give the book a good flow that does not to be changed or altered in any way. The parts he plays in all the events of the book were exactly as they should be, it almost felt like it was real instead of fiction.
I think the strongest characters were Denny and Zoe. They were given so much depth and detail that while reading it I almost felt like I knew them in real life. You got to see how they reacted to certain things and what they say when no one, except Enzo, is listening which showed their true selves. For example, the scenes where Denny was drunk and talking to Enzo he said his true thoughts, because he knew Enzo couldn't tell anyone, but scenes like this gave the reader a better idea of who he was ad why he did the things he did. Enzo was also of course a strong character with good development throughout the book while still remaining true to himself and his goals to "...become a man..." (Stein 3). I didn't find any character particularly weak, some, like the shop guys, were just minor characters and were left at that. Any further detail of background of them would have been unnecessary and distracting from the main characters and plot lines.
The two main themes in this book were loss and self discovery. Self discovery is a difficult path and it is not something you can do without hitting a few rough patches including loss. I think that the writer did a great job portraying both of these themes. In the scene where Eve was dying, Enzo was learning how to cope with the loss while also finding out his place in the family/ his place in the world. A short quote to support that is "I returned to the living room and waited with Denny..." (Stein 158). Also whenever he watched the TV with Denny and learned everything he was ultimately building himself up to be a real person and he knew that was his journey in life.
This is a fiction book that borderlines of realistic fiction. It is all told in the first person, Enzo being the speaker. It is all informal diction with some colloquial diction thrown in to make it more realistic of day-to-day life. One main tone word of the book itself is determined. No matter where he is or what he is doing Enzo is always determined, and he talks and carries himself as such. Several times throughout the book he appears to be apprehensive and even despairing as he realized he is just a dog and can't do everything he wants to. The other main tone word would be conversational, as the whole book is written in the day-to-day uncensored life. One example of the author's writing is after Enzo finally made Denny and his friend laugh, "We watched the race together without pause, side by side, Denny and me." (Stein 268) and this is representative of the tones because it's just a normal sentence that anyone would use in a conversation and shows how Enzo is feeling.
I'd give this book 5/5 stars. It was a fresh new idea for a book and unlike anything I've ever read before. The detailed characters and engaging events just pulled me right into the book. I also liked it because the conversational tone and every day diction made it easy to read, but the heart-string-pulling plot line and lovable main character made it a fun and unforgettable read as well.
- Garth Stein's website http://www.garthstein.com/works/the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain/
- Reviews in the first pages of the book
Even though I've heard about this book from so many people, I never really knew what it was about. I might have to put it on my reading list!
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