The Arts of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
|
An outsider always sees it all and sees it through, and the outside in Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is most atypical because it is a canine named Enzo. Though gestures are all this yellow lab has because his tongue "was designed long and flat” so he has no words to rely on, Enzo is different from other dogs.
He is a philosopher with a nearly human soul. He educates himself by watching television of great extent, and listens very closely to his master’s words. He can read people’s mind, interpret their motives, assign meaning to silence. We soon learn he is not just another dog that looks for crumbs under the table when the master is eating.
Enzo’s emotional attachment and loyalty to Denny Swift is never to be questioned. His initial jealously of Eve, who has got in between him and Denny, and who has moved into the house with a preemptive sense of authorship, quickly mitigates as he smells the disease in her brain long before she is stricken by it. Out of fear, or concern, or both, Enzo warms to her and stays with her, acting on behalf of Denny to give her courage.
This, therefore, steers closer to what the title encapsulates: (car) racing in the rain, expecting the unexpected, owning up and not giving up. Enzo stays by Denny during the series of trials that threaten to rend his life apart. After Eve suddenly dies of brain cancer, the in-laws (whom the canine calls twins, later Evil Twins) attack him mercilessly in order to gain custody of his six-years-old daughter. They viciously exploit allegations of sexual molestation against him in order to prevent him from having any contact with the girl because sex offender is deprived of right to custody. Like Denny’s semiprofessional car racing career, the legal battle is about enduring. The in-laws’ goal is to break his will for their own smug.
In this heart-wrenching but also funny narrative, as the old canine, down to his last days of his lifetime as a dog, takes stock of his life (with much dignity and honor), I’m once again assured that dogs are really men’s best friends. They might not be able to speak and communicate, but they are certainly aware of our gestures and vibes.
The way the canine narrates is awesome—the narrative tease, the ratcheting up of anticipation as he matter-of-factly recalls his life with the Swift family. I have a feeling that if dogs—smart dogs, who are about to come back as men—as Enzo has believed, could talk, this is what they would sound like. Now I look at my lab and wonder what he sees and thinks.
Thailand | Thaivisa General Living Airlines Community Banks Travel Getting Around Useful Links Google Hi5 YouTube Yahoo! Bangkok Post The Nation Pattaya Mail Phuket Gazette MCOT Chiangmai Mail Hua Hin Observer National News Bureau Phuket Post Student Weekly Fashion Music Siam Commercial Bangkok Bank Thai Real Estate Home Design Property Expat AIS True Foreign Exchange Rates Thai-English-Thai Dictionary Bumrungrad Hospital Wikipedia Facebook Suvarnabhumi Airport |
