The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein is a unique look at life through a dog's perspective. Although I expected the typical dog book, expressing the narrator's need to chase squirrels and such, this book took a look at the lives of those around the dog, Enzo. What makes the story truly different is Enzo's desire to become a man, for he is discontent with his inability to have a larger impact on his master's life. Enzo told a fairly unbiased description of the dramatic events that Denny, his master, faces. However, the one abstract element of the book was Enzo's conflict with a stuffed zebra that belongs to Denny's daughter, Zoe. The zebra taunts him; it causes him to act like a dog, and not like a human. The zebra is essentially Enzo's id, his animal instincts which he tries so hard to overcome. When Enzo tears the toy up, he is scolded--he cannot deny the dog inside of him, despite his efforts, and when he does, there are consequences. The book was mostly a "Voyage and Return" story, although it had bits of both comedy, tragedy and rebirth in it. I found this book to be an interesting read, for it included many plot lines, that just happened to be told by a dog.