Griffin Neary
Mr. Davidson
Period 5
10-9-19
Art of Racing in the Rain
The Art of Racing in the Rain, written by Garth Stein portrays the life of a loyal, loving, and genuine dog and his trial and tribulations. The main character, Enzo, is a dog who was adopted as a puppy by his owner Denny, who he comes to love. After Denny settles to marry Eve and have a daughter named Zoë, Enzo realizes that his role of being by Denny’s side extended to this new family. Although he is a dog, Enzo finds himself a vital piece of the family and loves them the same, if not more. Facing many difficulties, Enzo must keep the family together through misfortune, confusion, and heartbreak.
Enzo’s narration of the novel and his recount of certain events make the story very unique and interesting. Through the perspective of a dog, the readers can see things in a completely different light. This is exemplified when he senses Eve’s illness long before her diagnosis, and everything leading up to this fateful discovery grows the frustration of Enzo and the audience. “Given a facile tongue, I could have warned them. I could have alerted them to her condition long before they discovered it with their machines, their computers and super-vision scopes that can see inside the human head” (Stein 36-37). His narration also allows readers to dive deep into his opinions, thoughts, and most importantly, readers can see the true unconditional love Enzo has for his family members. One example of this is his growing relationship with Eve throughout the novel. He feels threatened by her at first because he feels she will get in the way of Denny and his relationship together. However, when Eve gives birth to Zoë, Enzo makes a promise with Eve to always protect Zoë. Enzo’s narration of the book is vital to the story and gives a look inside his mind, as opposed to a third person narration where it would simply be a telling of the events.
The false accusation against Denny and the legal battle that ensues over his daughter put to the test his application of the skills he has a driver to a real life scenario. We get a real look at the injustice being done to Denny when Eve’s parents, the Twins, sue Denny for custody of Zoë. This heated argument really brings the frustration on the audience and leaves them enthralled in the progression of the plot. Denny suffers another injustice when Annika, Eve’s teenage cousin, falsely accuses Denny of rape. This action puts Denny’s custody of Zoë in danger and leaves him nearly broke from all of the legal assistance he needs. The drama and weight of this is shown when Denny confronts Annika about it and spills his heart out to her about how this is impacting him and Zoë. The conclusion of the confrontation comes when Denny states, “Zoë’s my daughter, I love her like your father loves you. Please, Annika, don’t take her away from me” (Stein 284). Denny’s perseverance through these obstacles is something that few people could do, and this all highlights how great the reward was for him by overcoming all of this.
Overall, the novel The Art of Racing Rain by Garth Stein is a riveting tale of dog’s commitment and love for his owners. The book’s structure of being told by Enzo is great because it shows the emotional impact that he has on the family and the impact that they have on him. Although it is frustrating to read at times, the drama that this legal battle over Zoë brings a suspenseful build up to the climax. Denny winning this makes it all the more better and shows his true bravery and love for getting full custody of his daughter Zoë. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to people who like a story of love and triumph. It is beautifully written and is such a unique book overall, making it an amazing read.
