The Art of Racing In The Rain
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow. What an awesome book -- a blend of a great story and philosophy make this one of the best books I've read in awhile.
The story is told by Enzo, who is ... a dog. Now, before you think of this as overly cute and Marley and Me pulp (admittedly, I've never read that), Enzo is a dog who knows that after he dies, he will be resurrected as a human - he knows this because he watched a documentary that his master Denny left on for him. Denny is a car guy who races on weekends and aspires to do so professionally. He's also married to Eve and they have a daughter named Zoe.
Though the book opens and closes with mostly the same scene, with the heart of the story being told in the past tense (again, from Enzo's perspective) I won't spoil it for you - it's beautiful and heart-wrenching and really, quite lovely.
Much like "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" to which this book owes some of its title and I suspect some of its inspiration, this book is filled with insights from Enzo that could (and should) be used as practical advice for all of us. Just one example:
"There is no dishonor in losing the race," Don said. "There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose."
OK, one more.
To liv every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to. When I am a person, that is how I will live my life.
Do yourself a favor and pick this up. It's truly pretty damn great.
Rating: 9.5/10.0