A Dog Speaks Out: Review of Garth Stein's "The Art Of Racing In The Rain"

NEW SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY REVIEWS

Reviews Of Recently Published Science Fiction And Fantasy Books

Reviewer: Forrest Schultz schultz_forrest@yahoo.com 770-583-3258

Blog Address: http://newsciencefictionandfantasyreviews.blogspot.com/

A  Dog  Speaks  Out

A Review of

Garth Stein The Art of Racing In The Rain (Harper 2009)

                      323pp   $14.99   ISBN: 978-0-06-153796-7

Reviewer:  Forrest W. Schultz

     Let me begin by admitting that it is a stretch to regard this as a “new” book, and that probably most literary authorities would not classify it as “fantasy”.  (The Library of Congress labels it as “Dogs – Fiction”.)  But, hey, the book is narrated by a dog!  How can you NOT call that fantasy!! And, to top it off, this dog expects after his death to be reincarnated as a human!

     This story is not like any other dog story I have ever read or heard of, although there are some similarities with the book titled A Dog’s Purpose, because this dog sees himself as having responsibility for the well-being of its owner.  This, I believe, is what makes the story so interesting, enthralling, and memorable.  I highly commend it, as have many other writers and reviewers.  Once you have started reading this book you do not want to put it down: you care about the dog and the human characters in the story.

     Information on the author is available on his website www.garthstein.com