Book Review: The Art Of Racing In The Rain

Ryan Cullen

Mr. Davidson

CL/3^rd Period

11-23-15

AMDG

AR Book Review

            Perspective is a very powerful tool that helps to provide a frame of reference for a story.  In The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein, the story is told from the viewpoint of the family dog, Enzo.  Enzo is just like any family dog, but the audience is able to gain interesting insight into the happenings of his family and their lives because of the information he relays.  Denny, Enzo’s owner and best friend, picks Enzo out when he is just a puppy, and they live happily together until Eve comes into the picture.  Eve is Denny’s girlfriend and eventually his wife, and Enzo has mixed feelings about her overall.  He always feels a stronger connection to Denny, but becomes closer to Eve after she gives birth to a daughter, Zoë.  Everything goes well for the family, especially Denny who has first-time success as a racecar driver.  However, the good times do not last as Eve becomes seriously ill over the course of the story, her eventual death shocking everyone close to the family.  Maxwell and Trish, Eve’s parents, are upset with Denny for the way he handles their daughter’s sickness, and this leads to the grandparents suing for custody of young Zoë.  Although the case seems like an easy win for Denny on the surface, old problems find new life when the suit begins, and Denny is forced into the fight of his life to keep the daughter he loves.  Enzo serves as a guide to readers throughout the proceedings and provides a unique perspective on the difficult situation ahead for Denny.

The narration by Enzo provides a unique look into events during the story and reveals important facts that give the reader a more complete understanding.  The importance of Enzo’s perspective is clear when Enzo, Denny, and Zoë visit Eve’s family and go with them on a ski trip.  During this time, Eve’s niece Annika falls in love with Denny and believes that Denny shares this same feeling.  Denny is determined to head back home to see his wife, even when met with the brutal conditions of a snowstorm throughout the dangerous drive.  When he finally gets home, he is overcome with sleep and Annika “pulled his pants down to his ankles, then lifted one foot and then the other to remove them completely” (Stein 143).  Enzo reveals that it was Annika who took advantage of Denny and put him in an extremely difficult and complex situation.  Since Annika pulled down Denny’s pants herself it is clear she is the person to blame in this situation, not Denny.  The reader learns that Denny does not want the sexual encounter to happen, he does not promote it or seek it, and as soon as he realizes what is happening he shuts it down.  Enzo’s “fly on-the-wall” perspective allows the audience to see what actually happens.  The reader learns from Enzo the details of the encounter from a first hand point of view.  There is no bias, and the facts are presented clearly.  A clear, truthful story is actually quite unique when it comes to literature, and it serves as an interesting framework of this story that readers will enjoy.

The struggle of communication between characters is central to this story as a whole because of the emotion it creates and value it adds to the novel. Enzo again proves his importance using his instincts which  are important because when Eve leans down to feed Enzo later that day he knows “There was something inside Eve’s head that didn’t belong…But [he] hadn’t a facile tongue.  So all [he] could do was watch and feel empty inside” (36).  All along Enzo knows that Eve is sick, he is able to smell what is going on inside Eve’s head which results in sadness and hardships for everyone involved.  This is such a difficult section of the story to read, and it depicts for the audience how difficult life would be without the ability to communicate.  The audience experiences the same struggle with emotions as Enzo, they have to watch Eve suffer and refuse to go to the doctor while they already know that she has a serious problem.  Enzo’s lack of a facile tongue is heartbreaking because the audience is able to see how badly he wants to let the family know, but he never has the opportunity or ability to tell them.   This empty feeling of frustration Enzo demonstrates also sticks with readers and creates a bond through sadness that can give the reader a reason to keep reading.  The inability for Enzo to communicate to his family leaves the reader feeling helpless and creates a deep irony; even they cannot save Eve.  Therefore, it is apparent that the struggle to communicate in the story is key to the story’s message to not take the little things for granted.

The emergence of a villain in the novel is an important aspect of character development that allows readers to connect emotionally to the story and its characters.  Towards the end of the court battle, Enzo is staying with Maxwell and Trish because Zoë misses him.  While lounging near the patio, he is able to overhear a discussion between Maxwell and Trish on Denny and the trial as a whole.  Maxwell asserts that “Denny wasn’t good enough for Eve, and he’s not good enough for Zoë.  And if he’s stupid enough to get caught with his pants down and his pecker in his fist, you’re going to be damn sure I’m going to seize the moment” (228).  Maxwell develops into a villain over the course of the novel, and this progression is illustrated in his chat with Trish.  Since Maxwell is taking advantage of a completely unfair situation, the reader feels for Denny and what he is going through.  When an audience becomes invested in a character because of that figure’s situation, they likely will keep reading to find out what happens to that character.  All of the things that Maxwell says, especially the fact that he mentions that his actions are justified because Denny was not right for Eve, entrench Maxwell into a position where readers will be against him. The audience already understands that the rape allegations are unfounded, and Maxwell even asserts that he is going to use the information whether it is true or not. Maxwell serves an undervalued role as the villain in the story and Stein uses his character to unite his audience and connect them emotionally to Denny’s journey.

The Art Of Racing In the Rain, by Garth Stein, is an extremely unique  and touching novel that every person should make the effort to read.  Stein expertly weaves Enzo’s thoughts and emotions into the story as a whole and the reader actually experiences what it is like to be the family dog.  I liked this book for the messages and ideas it left with me, the most important being to never give up.  Readers will be able to read this book quickly as the excitement never stops, but it can also be evaluated further to find deeper meaning.  This is the perfect book for teens, but that’s not to say adults would not enjoy the book as well.  Although the reading level and overall use of language may not be incredibly difficult, the tale it weaves it provides creates a lasting impact.  The story is touching and the dog’s perspective is heartwarming. Overall, this is one of my favorite books I have read and clearly a novel written from a dog’s perspective adds an interesting twist for the reader.

Fantasy genre

This is my response to a few question regarding the fantasy genre as a whole.  Both whether I like the category overall, and also some of my favorite settings in fantasy books and movies.

Fantasy is a great change of pace when it comes to reading.  With school books, we always tend to focus on realistic fiction or something rather historical.  Although these books are interesting, fantasy is a genre that is often more fun to sit down and read.  It's a topic that I could sit down and read all day long when I find a book that I like.  I think this is because fantasy novels create a very interesting mental image and I can often imagine myself in the same situations in the characters.  Sometimes fantasy can be a little too over-the-top for me, so different books and authors I like more  than others.

A fantasy location I'd like to visit would be Middle Earth in The Hobbit because of all the diverse and interesting things going on there.  The images that popped into my mind when I read it a bit back were fantastic and when the movie came out is was almost exactly as I pictured.  Fantasy gives you a unique perspective into something although impossible, brings out curiosity and creativity.  I really like the battle scenes in the book and also the "my precious" scene with Bilbo and the ring that becomes so important.  Scenes like this would never have been possible in standard fiction, and therefore fantasy is the best way to advance these ideas.  Middle Earth would be an adventure and definitely one that I'd like to go on.

Infographic Project -- Ryan Cullen

1.          I chose this topic because it is something I have a personal belief in and feel strongly about.  Although I understand there are many arguments to be made in opposition to my argument, my position is something I do truly believe in.

2.         Researching one side of a topic is different from normal and it made me feel like I was cheating the audience a little bit.  At times I was able to understand different aspects of the counter-point through some of the data I came across which makes it hard to maintain my bias.  Focus was very hard to maintain as I researched for the project.

3.         I chose a very simple design structure for my infographic that relies mainly on sub-headings followed by different examples.  I felt these were the most compelling facts, and breaking them up into different groups gave the infographic a much better aesthetic look.  I also included a graph to make sure the viewer was able to be drawn in by the facts it displayed.  The pictures I chose were very simple and were only meant to make the project look better and separate different categories.  The most important imaging in the infographic is the final picture seen bottom right before the works cited.  The person fading away is meant to illustrate losing someone who is important to you and I think it is a very powerful message.

4.         Yes, I do think my argument is convincing and I think the viewer will understand the need to side with gun control.  I’m not trying to advocate that guns should be banned all together, I just want people to understand that there are many problems as a result of guns and they could be limited by more strategic gun control.