Our first #ThrowbackThursdayBookstagram of 2023 is THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein. It’s a book I read over a decade ago now, but one I enjoyed and recommended to my friends. My children enjoyed it, too—the adult novel and the children’s adaptation that came from it.

So what drew me in? The narrator, of course. Which is a dog:

“Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.

Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn’t simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life … as only a dog could tell it.”

In my life, we’ve had multiple dogs. And I always wondered how they’d tell a story. My personal opinion is that Stein did a great job with this book. So many people enjoyed it—it’s one of those books that got a lot of people reading. And you know by now I think that’s a great thing.

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