by Garth Stein
Q: Are you a dog owner yourself? Who is your Enzo?
A: Yes, I have a dog named Comet, who is a Lab/poodle mix. But she’s no Enzo. She’s a little too silly and sweet. Let me put it to you this way: she has a few more lifetimes to live as a dog before she’s ready to return as a person. Unless you could guarantee that she could come back as a ball girl at Wimbledon. She’s awesome with a tennis ball!
Q: There are some very sad moments in the book, as Denny loses his wife and then his daughter. How did those difficult events contribute to Denny’s development as a character? How did they contribute to Enzo?
A: A character is tested when he or she is truly pushed to the brink. The way the story is set up, we know that it is not about Denny trying his hardest and then accepting defeat. This is a story that will test Denny’s inner strength. Because of their relationship, it is only appropriate that, at some point, Denny must rely on his greatest ally, Enzo, given the feelings that they have for each other.
Q: Enzo’s lap around the track at Thunderhill Raceway Park with Denny is definitely one of the most joyous and truthful passages we have ever read. The beauty of life is really captured in that last turn around the track. What was your inspiration for that scene?
A: When I wrote that scene, I was totally engaged in the writing process. I knew I had to get Enzo into a race car, and then I let him do the writing. You know, having raced cars myself, I will say that, when screaming down a straight and flying through some turns, even the most serious person is little more than a happy dog, his head out the window, hoping for the moment to last a little longer.
Q: Can you elaborate on the art of racing in the rain? Is it the ability to anticipate the next move or the ability to trust oneself to make the next move without anticipation?
A: Well, yes and yes. It’s also about letting go of self-doubt and insecurity. Once a good rain racer commits to a decision, he follows it to completion because he knows that certain things must play out. If we are acting entirely with our best interests in mind—not the best interests of our ego, but the best interests of our soul—we are acting properly.
I have to refer back to the epigraph: “With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.” That was said by Aryton Senna, who was arguably the best rain racer ever. I think he’s talking about this idea: there is no limit to what we can accomplish if we believe in ourselves completely.
Q: the art of racing in the rain is dedicated to your childhood dog, Muggs. I know you have told the story of the Muggs dedication and your father’s reaction to it before, but could I ask you to tell it one more time here? It’s a wonderful story.
A: My family’s childhood dog was an Airedale named Muggs. She was a sweet, lovable, proud dog. And she got old. When I was a teenager, one day my father came home from work early. He was wearing his suit, and it seemed odd to see him in the day at home in a suit. He put Muggs in the car and took her away. He came back without her. (She was quite old, her hips had given way, and she wasn’t doing well. . . .)
When he came back, he took all of her things out of the place we kept them in her cabinet. Her bowls, her food, her leashes, her collar. He put them in a garbage bag, tied it up, and placed it outside by the garbage cans. That was it. He never said a word about it, and no one in our house spoke of it.
When I finished my book, I wanted to dedicate it to someone, but I didn’t know who. So I dedicated it to Muggs, knowing that I was really dedicating it to my father by doing that.
The book was ready, I got my first copy from HarperCollins, and I proudly showed my parents, forgetting for a moment that I had dedicated it to Muggs. My father opened the book, saw the dedication page . . . and started crying.
So he knew. Parents know stuff like that. He knew I meant it was for him.
Check out cool photos of Garth racing, his dog, Comet, and more!
Garth and his dog, Comet, at the beach
Comet relaxing at home
Garth’s studio
Garth and Comet at New Year’s
At the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Cup with a new fan
Garth at a reading
Garth and Comet playing around
With friend and producer Johan Lindgren and Comet
Also by Garth Stein
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Raven Stole the Moon
Copyright
Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog
Copyright © 2011 by Bright White Light, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-06-201574-7 (trade bdg.)
ISBN 978-0-06-201576-1 (pbk.)
EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780062077172
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11 12 13 14 15 CG/RRDB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
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