There’s a long literary tradition of narrative, often inspirational, fiction voiced from the perspective of an animal: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Charlotte’s Web. Novelist Garth Stein has made a name for himself amongst those classics with his 2008 book The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Our protagonist, Enzo, is an old soul of a dog that pays witty and philosophical witness to the daily life of his race-car-driving owner, Denny. He loves to watch TV and to “converse” about the skill and art of maneuvering at high speeds in the rain. Based on something he gleaned from a documentary on Mongolia he once caught on the National Geographic Channel, he also wholeheartedly believes that, upon passing, he will be reincarnated as a human. It is through Enzo’s simple but keen eye that we, too, get to observe everything that life can throw at someone like Denny, and how a committed companion can make all the difference in the world. (Jacob Stringer)
Garth Stein: The Art of Racing in the Rain @ The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, 801-484-9100, Sept. 14, 7 p.m., free. KingsEnglish.com
Date: Sep 14, 2011
Time: 7 p.m.
Phone: 801-484-9100
Address: 1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City, 84105
Where: King's English
