Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

I first came across Garth Stein's Art of Racing in the Rain when it showed up on recommended books list on Goodreads. I was a little skeptical initially and who wouldn't be... after all it is a book that has been written from the point of view of a dog. I've seen a few movies that have been made from that point of view and they've been atrocious so I didn't really expect this to be great either. I did a little more research on it however and the ratings and the reviews convinced me that this was a book that I shouldn't miss reading. Full disclosure - I love dogs! Though I must admit that I don't have a dog and never have had one so I will never know the joys of being a dog parent. So I'm hoping this review of mine won't be clouded by any biases that I have towards dogs. That being said, I must say that The Art of Racing in the Rain is an absolutely beautiful and moving book. I've wondered very often how dogs would view our human world and this book gives a very beautiful description of how it could possibly be. The story is told from the point of view from Enzo the dog and it is basically a story that he tells about his master Denny and all the ups and downs that he faces in life. Enzo is a dog with a racer's heart and the way Garth Stein merges the lessons that a racer learns in life and presents it in the form of life lessons that we can learn from is simply fantastic. The book is very very moving at times (There were several parts where I was brought close to tears) and I believe it is only the unquestioning and loyal nature of a dog that is capable of bringing about this emotion. There are however a couple minor criticisms I have of the book. There are times when the narrative becomes a little hard to believe. Incidents that the dog couldn't have possibly known are inserted into the book. In that sense Garth Stein doesn't stay entirely honest to the story. In his attempt to tell the complete story and to add the lessons into it, the author sometimes goes overboard. The second criticism is that though the language of book is simple (I don't mind that at all), it becomes too crass at times without it needing to become so. I would most certainly recommend this book to all dog lovers and to anyone else who is interested in reading fiction novels that have life lessons attached to it as well.

My Rating: 4/5