I have always looked at my silver, toy Yorkie and ask her, “What are you thinking?” She would always look up at me with her black button eyes and lay her fluffly head back down as I continue to stratch her pink, pig-like belly. She would moan in comfort, leaving me wondering if I had triggered any doggie brain sparks.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is an outlet to let you in the mindset of one particular canine, Enzo. Enzo is a lab mix who takes you through the journey of his life with his best friend and owner, Danny Swift. Instead of reading a book that is through the perspective of a human with a dog (who tells his story rather than his connection with the dog), you get thrown into the dog world. So for all you dog lovers, this is a book to set your set of paws on.
First, The author does a great job portraying the characteristics of Enzo. By using formal language, Stein displays Enzo as being an intellectual, especially when he speaks of philosophy by using the the ideas of race car driving and applying it to life. This works because we humans, tend to look at a dog and underestimate their abilities of communication. However, The Art of Racing in the Rain will get you to start looking at your pet in a different way. One of my favorite parts is when Enzo addresses the reader and explains his theory as to why dogs are the most related to humans, not chimps. He does this in a clever and humorous way that gets you to respect Enzo and his desires of being human.
The plot is juicy with family problems even though they are a good family who love each other. Enzo, the silent observer, sees what happens and are thrown into the mix. So throw out the worries that the plot is dry with pointless doggy “I want a bone” arguments. No, this book has a lot more substance in its story since you do follow the family.
Dane, his owner, is a strong character in that he has Enzo there for comfort. The relationship between the dog and Dan is very strong as you see them watch television and Dan speaks to Enzo like an equal as Enzo thinks of what he wishes he could say back. It is amazing how these two feed off each other in the book for strength. Dan keeps losing and losing people, job success, the law and more while Enzo is there to help him understand that it was not the end.
Enzo gets his education through a TV. Dan leaves it on for him while he goes off to work and Enzo sits there and watches what is on, learning of different things in life and feeding his mind with more wishes to become human. Like this below,
“In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog’s master whispers into the dog’s ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat or fat is placed in his mouth to sustain his soul on its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog’s soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.
I learned that from a program on the National Geographic channel, so I believe it is true. Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready.
I am ready.”
I love this book. I love the idea of looking at life through a dog’s perspective. So if you want to try something new, I would recommend this.
