The Art of Racing in the Rain

Summary:
Enzo is Denny's dog, is barely clinging to life, and is the main character of the novel. As such, there isn't a lot of action in this first section of the book. The author spends most of the time reflecting on Enzo's past experiences. He begins with Enzo's days as a puppy, proceeds to his life with Denny before Denny got married, and ends with Enzo's life with Zoe and Eve around (Denny's daughter and wife).

Author: 
Garth Stein was just recently established as a novelist. He has written three books, one play, and co-produced an Academy Award winning short film. He also owns a dog, which may have inspired this tale of friendship.

Purpose:
From reading this first section of the novel, I can determine that this book serves to highlight the relationship that people have with their dogs and how important a role they play in the family.

Rhetoric:
As previously mentioned, there was not a significant amount of action that took place in this first section. Instead, the author used flashbacks to provide context for existing relationships between characters and, perhaps, for future conflicts and events. This method was effective in introducing the characters that will play a major role in the story. Additionally, it gave the novel a sentimental tone to it. The set-up of this first portion was successful in appealing to the emotions of readers for the flashbacks explained the deep bonds between characters. From Enzo's opening comments about his readiness to die to Eve's request that Enzo promises to protect Zoe (which served to strengthen Enzo's bonds with the family), the audience is taken on a emotional ride. Perhaps the most unique aspect of this book, is the fact that it is written in first-person from a dog's perspective. Most would think that this point of view would only provide a limited perspective on the book since dogs aren't very thoughtful creatures. However, Stein does an incredible job of humanizing Enzo. By noting that Denny accepts death due to the fact that, according to a documentary he watched about Mongolia he will be reincarnated as a human, which is his ultimate wish, Stein gives Enzo a human-like feel. Additionally, Enzo's comments, emotions, concerns, and reactions are just as human and complex as an actual human. The only difference is that, unlike humans, Enzo cannot communicate through words, he must engage in charade-like activities to get his point across. This may in fact be the reason that this point of view is so effective. Enzo is capable of interpreting and understanding Denny's words and actions and such an ability is quite believable. However, Denny often misinterprets Enzo's signals which is just as believable. If it were written from Denny's perspective, the audience would lose the ability to accurately identify Enzo's moods. So, by writing the book from the dog's  perspective, you get insight into both Enzo and Denny's mindset.