A Great Adventure and Read: The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein follows a simple man, Denny Swift, who runs into conflict with his family, career, and his overall livelihood. Denny is a part-time race car driver and an employee at a local car service. Eve, his wife, is the love of his life, and together they have had one daughter, Zoe. The novel is told from the perspective of Denny's dog, Enzo. Enzo loves racing, playing with Zoe, and spending time with his family. As the novel progresses, Eve grows very weak but Enzo can't speak to tell Denny that. During Eve’s sickness, Denny is wrongly accused of a crime, revealing a risk to the custody of Zoe. Denny must persevere through the circumstances prevented and keep his dreams of being a professional racecar driver afloat.

Denny's commitment to his family plays a major role in how the novel is viewed by the reader. When Denny’s family begins to grow he quit the original job that made him ten thousand dollars a month to work behind the counter at an auto shop. Denny made this sacrifice so he could spend more time with his family. Denny loved his family so much that he was willing to give up more than just his original job but everything. “Denny offered to give up his own job to care for Zoe” (31). When Eve got sick, Denny cared for all that was needed and did it all without complaint. His engagement to Eve was more than an engagement of love but a devotion to their family. Speaking of Denny, Enzo says, “He wanted to relieve Eve of any burden, any job that could cause stress” (65). Denny did whatever he had to do to relieve anxiety from Eve. When Eve’s parents try to obtain custody of Zoe, Denny immediately denies and stays true to what he believes in. This gives the reader to see both sides of the character. We see Denny’s emotional state with his family, the obstacles he runs into, and how his dedication lets him get passed these tough times.

How a relationship does not fall apart even through the death of a loved one is also represented throughout the novel. Early in Eve and Denny's relationship, they are deeply in love and awaiting marriage. The way Denny paid attention to Eve made Enzo jealous because they were so passionate. Denny could not get enough of her and he “gazed into her soft green eyes” as though he did not have any other worries (21). He looked at her as though nothing else in the world mattered. Even when Eve grew sick the love between her and Denny did not change. They missed each other dearly, even when Denny was gone for a short period of time. When only Denny and Enzo hang out for a night, the lack of Zoe and Eve did not feel right. Enzo says, “It all felt wrong. The absence of Eve and Zoe was wrong. There was something missing in everything we did” (109). Although she was sick, Denny could not stay away from her and had to see her. Denny says, “I have to go see her” (110). Denny and Eve’s relationship did not change through thick and thin because of their strong desire and love for one another. This relationship can show readers how love can prosper through whatever difficulties life may bring to a couple.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is an amazing novel, and I loved reading it.

Throughout taking this Contemporary Literature course, I find myself enjoying reading more, and this

novel definitely made that feeling even stronger. The Art of Racing in the Rain really showed me

how much I can love a book. I found myself wanting to read more than what was assigned and figure

out what could happen next. I also loved how this novel was written. It was a very different read

because the narrator was a dog, giving me a totally different perspective on who a narrator may be. I

definitely, recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading, likes twists and turns, loves to be

glued to the pages, and enjoys a good ending. Any reader would love this novel but a couple of

people on set genres may not. Foor book lovers who only love reading genres such as biographies

, history or autobiographies, this may not be the book for you. This is a book filled with adventure,

fiction, and more. I loved reading this book and it was very difficult to put it down. Hopefully, you

will enjoy it as much as I did.