The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My sister emailed me:

I just read a quick, sweet (or bittersweet?) book called The Art of Racing in the Rain. It is all told from the perspective of the protagonist's dog. I was skeptical at first but it ended up working for me. I read it in just four days--fast for me!

I wrote back:

About The Art of Racing in the Rain: Does the dog DIE at the end???? If he does, I will not read it.

The next day, my sister wrote:

The dog does die but that's not the main focus of the story.

I wrote:

Too late. When I got your email about the book, I was at the library so I checked it out. Started reading it when I got home and finished it! It made me cry. Enzo was such a good dog. It was a really good book! Thanks for recommending it!

My sister responded:

Hahaha! You read hella fast! I thought the dog as narrator worked surprisingly well.

Check that out! My sister (who taught me to read, by the way) said that I read HELLA fast! That means SO MUCH because she is a Reading Teacher! Really, that's her job! She listens to first graders sound out words all day.

So yes, this book is told from the perspective of a dog. And it made me sob. The last book that made me weep (and that's different from sob) was The Namesake back in September.

Read this book!
A box of Kleenex nearby is recommended, reading it with your pet on your lap or by your side is highly recommended.