"I know this much about racing in the rain," Enzo, an ailing and aging poodle/shepherd/lab or terrier/lab mix (depending on who you ask) begins. "I know it is about balance." Not only is racing in the rain about balance, but so is The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein’s third novel. Stein makes two things very clear in his latest release: racing in the rain requires skill and balance, and these very difficult things to achieve.
The Art of Racing in the Rain begins with Enzo, lying alone on the floor, waiting for his master, Denny, to arrive. Enzo's old and contemplating a Kevorkian fate while reliving the higher points of his notably interesting life. Enzo tells about Denny and Denny's desire to raise himself above the semi-pro circuits of racing while trying to hold a family together with Eve and Zoe, their only daughter. Yet fate has other things in store for the family and the dog who learns his lessons from racetrack tapes and Law and Order reruns. When Eve begins to grow ill, the plot complicates as the Twins, Eve's parents and Denny's in-laws, extract an exhausting toll on the strength of the young family. As lawyers and family friends begin to pick sides, the question that remains until the end it this: Does Denny have the skills it takes to navigate this treacherous raceway?
Stein's novel hits all the high emotional points a reader might expect from a novel written about a loving family through the eyes of their elderly pup. It is a novel with no shortage of emotional strings pulled and tears jerked for the family that, at times, seems much like a speeding automobile without traction. It is well told, and enjoyable throughout, though there are moments when the substance seems to lack for style. Explanations often seem overwrought, and there are moments that made this reader wonder whether Stein forgot that he was writing through a dog rather than writing to a dog. Nevertheless, it should on the reading list of anyone who prefers a strong plot paired with the always-fascinating struggle of family unity in crisis. It is not a perfect novel, but it is a good one, and Stein and Enzo should be happy with the exceptional skill they both display.
The Art of Racing in the Rain is written by Garth Stein and published by Harper, 2008.
—2008-11-04 15:07:40
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