Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain, 2008

Being one of those people who sees dogs as having distinct personalities if we only bother to look, this kind of imaginative take on a dog’s point of view is actually the type of book I like to find. Like all dogs, Enzo thinks and feels like a human and he considers this incarnation to be a trial run for being reborn as one. Now at the end of his life and looking back on his time with his Seattle motor racing master Danny, he considers his karmic track record particularly when Danny’s family falls apart after the death of his wife. This is a very likeable book indeed and Enzo’s first person story actually adds to its authentic feel, because Stein’s aim is to put him across as being essentially the same as us and deserving of a human rebirth. Sad in many places but also pretty uplifting, I’ll probably be thinking back to this haunting book for weeks to come.  PY

MORE ON GARTH STEIN :  AUTHOR'S WEBSITE  |  HARPER COLLINS WRITERS PROFILE  |  WIKIPEDIA