The Art of Racing in the Rain

I am fairly sure that Oprah beat me to it, but this book is MARVELOUS.

The narrator of this book is a dog named Enzo.  Not like other dogs, he strives to be more like human beings, so he can be ready to be reincarnated as a man.  He saw a documentary on Discovery once that said dogs who are ready will be reborn as men.  And he is so ready.

Enzo is a perfect narrator.  If this book were narrated by a man, it wouldn't be nearly as funny or touching.  Part of the rich charm of this story is imagining the fully developed inner life that this extraordinary dog has developed from watching TV and learning from his master, Denny. 

The story itself is fairly devastating.  Centering on the slow death of Denny's wife, Eve, and the shocking aftermath that Eve's parents create, I often found myself weeping aloud at the thought of something like this happening to my family.  I won't say what happens - the slow, agonizing way the story unfolds is part of the utter beauty of it - but listening to Denny's side of the story is both funny and heart wrenching.  He tries to overcome his "dogness" to be ready for the next life, but is never above using the tools at his disposal to make his point clear.  These moments are among the book's most amusing.  It makes me look at dogs in an entirely different light.  Have you ever had a dog who looks at you like they truly understand everything you have said?  A dog who does something so eerily human that you wonder if they are being purposeful?  After reading this book, you will probably watch dogs much more closely for signs of a far more intelligent light behind their eyes that you previously imagined. 

Rest assured that the book, however sad and beartbreaking, has a very satisfying ending.  I listened to the audiobook, which was very well done, but I think I want to buy a hardcopy.  I so enjoyed the world the author (whose name escapes me) created that I want to visit again.