The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

  I have wanted to read this forever and having been putting it off for nearly as long because I knew it would be exactly what it is.... a fabulous book that made me cry.  A LOT.

It's a philosophy book hidden inside the wonderful story of a dog, Enzo, and his family.   His human, Danny, is a race car driver that is sort of down on his luck, he never seems to find the right brakes... and then he meets Eve and they have a beautiful daughter together.  It sounds like everything comes up roses, right?   Not exactly.

This book is about life and learning to deal with everything that it throws at you - the metaphorical title - you learn how to race in the rain.  I loved this book but it was extremely difficult for me to read.  You see, I've done the Cancer dance now and I really don't ever want to do it again.  My beloved Grandmother had the same type of cancer that one of the characters in the book gets.  The chapter with Enzo guarding this person through the night - it just KILLED me.

I also couldn't understand why Enzo thought humans were so wonderful, why he thought that dogs envolved into humans.   As for me, I think it's the other way around and maybe, if I'm lucky enough and work hard enough,  I'll come back as a dog in my next life.   This is a wonderful book, but have your tissues handy because you will need them   I was balling before the first chapter even finished.

5 out of 5 stars.