AR Book Review

 

The Art of Racing in the rain is one of the most emotional books I have personally ever read. The story follows character Enzo, a dog, as he goes through his life and deals with many hardships. His mother figure (Eve) battles through a terminal illness and begins to see how this affects the entire family. Denny (Enzo's owner/father figure) struggles with balancing his work life and his home life. This situation escalates as Denny is accused of a felony, and fights through a trial that lasts several years. The entire story is narrated by Enzo, which makes for an emotional read as the story plays out through the perspective of a dog who loves his family. Enzo is a very compassionate dog who has lived with Enzo for most of his life, and he also acts as a way for us to understand Denny better as a character. 

The point of view in this novel is depicted well and makes the reader both question what can or cannot be believed and see the world in a new way. As Enzo is unable to communicate with other people, especially Denny, it becomes clear that “hands are the windows to a man’s soul” (201). Enzo has to communicate with Denny through paw movements, barks, and physical actions. For example, later in the story Enzo is faced with the choice to let Denny give up and sign the papers, or to stop him from making a choice he would regret. This forces him to steal the papers from him, and “destroy’ them, to show Denny that he does not want him to sign the papers. This plan ended up working and Denny took Enzo’s side and decided to keep fighting against the accusations made against him. Enzo’s knowledge of everything that was going on would’ve  

 

 

changed every decision made in this novel, but he simply was unable to communicate it to anyone. 

The characterization in this story was done amazingly, even when it comes to the smaller characters. The author makes it clear that Denny is a determined hard worker, Eve is a strong-willed person who will go to great lengths to get her way, and that Enzo is a caring person who will set his needs aside to ensure that other people are happy. When Enzo first met Eve, he “had always wanted to love Eve as Denny loved her, but [he] never had because [he] was afraid” (44). Despite the fact that Eve seemed not to like Enzo when they first met, Enzo was always willing to get closer to her, because he knew that was what Denny wanted. So, he put his fears aside to make Denny happy. This is another example of how Enzo and Denny’s relationship is so pure and how their characterization is what makes them a perfect match. 

I would recommend this book to everyone. It makes the reader feel empathetic in a way all dog movies do. Readers will feel pain every time the dog feels it, they will always be on the edge of their seat. The writing in this novel is used in such a way that it never disinterests readers, and they are always rooting for Denny and Enzo, even when it seems like everything is going wrong. I think is novel is the perfect book for anyone who needs a good cry, or just wants to understand the point of view of a dog better than they already do.