The Art of Racing In The Rain

[Greg]

Only a few pages in but I like the viewpoint so far and I think starting from the end makes you committed to the character right away.

[Elizabeth]

I loved this book. I thought that it was a very creative way to express the themes of devotion and unconditional love. It reminded me in many ways of a child's trust and love in their parent. Many parts of the book touched me and made me cry.

< SPOILER ALERT>

Especially when Eve asks Enzo to stay to keep her safe. In this instance, it was like a child having complete faith in their parent's ability to keep them safe. And, sap that I am, I really hope that the ending was right and that life came full circle.

This is one of those books that I am glad to have read.

Elizabeth

[Greg]

I liked Eve's view of Enzo as well, especially considering how distant they started out with each other.

[minor spoilers]
I enjoyed it up to a point. The problem with fiction is obviously that when the author needs something to happen it happens. The goal is for the author to weave it together in a believable way. Maybe it was too many events that just seemed to happen in the book but it made the storyline less compelling. I think the burial scene was a good example of the author doing it right. The long walk through all the parks set it up right for the moment. Introducing the parents was an example of one event too many with no real lead in.

The racing analogies and trivia were interesting and helped make Enzo a much more interesting character. And if I was going to recommend the book my advice would be to focus on the dog and not worry so much about everyone else. The ending though was a bridge too far for me, maybe I'm a speciesist but it just felt wrong.

[Elizabeth]

It's interesting because I didn't find that the book had too many events- it felt more character driven to me. And I thought that it just seemed like a snapshot of what people's lives are really like- the ups and the downs. The events seemed so secondary to me.