The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I dislike books that are overly manipulative and heavy on pop psychology, and that's what this book is. The author follows the trials of a family through the eyes of their dog. He throws in a mother with brain cancer, a child taken away by evil, rich grandparents who engage in a devastating legal battle with their poor son-in-law, and a father who puts his family ahead of his career as a race car driver. The dog narrator is treated like a dog, hit by a car, suffers from arthritis, and so on. Everything is tied together by the pop psychology of race car driving, reminiscent of "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". In addition, the dog narrator is hardly a dog. He understands more about life than all the people around him. He speaks in complete sentences, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of old movies and auto racing. Entirely unbelievable.

But it is a page-turner and easy to read. Once begun, it is hard to stop. I found myself caught up in the trials of the family even as I condemned the author for manipulating me.

Link to Amazon: The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel