The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

Dog lovers!  Listen up!  Move over Marley.  Here comes Enzo.  Enzo melted my heart on page one.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is told through the eyes of Enzo, the mixed breed mutt loved by Denny Swift.  He was loved by Eve, Denny's wife and again by Zoe their daughter when she arrived on the scene.  Denny loved cars and racing.  He and Enzo would watch races on TV.  Enzo had quite the repertoire of television shows since Denny left the TV on for him during the day.  He observed and made notes of all his human's actions and emotions.

He tries to comfort Eve through her illness and play gently with Zoe.  He hates Eve's parents, the Evil Twins.  Enzo knew exactly how to get under their skin at just the right moment.  The night he ate a pepper just to aggravate Maxwell was priceless.  They tried to rip Denny's family apart.

I cried the night Eve dressed up in a ball gown to celebrate her final day of life.  I felt joy for Enzo and Denny as they raced at full speed around an empty track.  I hated Trish and Maxwell for their selfish acts against Denny.  Whatever Enzo felt, I felt.

This is a wonderful story and expertly written through the eyes of a dog.  For all of us with dogs who wonder what they're thinking, this book explains it.  I rate this book 5 out of 5.