{read: through a dog's eyes} The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I read this for a book club and am glad that I picked it up again. I had tried it a few years ago but couldn't make it through the heartbreaking first chapter. This time, I skipped chapter one and while the ending chapter and epilogue were sad and perhaps predictable, the book was worth the read.

Enzo the dog wants nothing more than to be human and a race car driver in his next incarnation, and he spends his days observing humans and preparing for his next life as his owner, Denny, applies the lessons of the race track to his own challenges with his wife, daughter, and a resulting legal situation. Enzo wonders at the end of the book if he's wasted his life by not enjoying his dogness and spending all of his time anticipating the future, but I don't think that he did. Part of what makes dogs themselves, in my opinion, is their acute interest in humans and our activities.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (Harper Collins Canada, 2008)
My rating: 4 stars