The Art of Racing in the Rain

Forget taboos about anthropomorphizing--Enzo the dog is the only one who can tell the story of his beloved race-car driver, Denny Swift. One perceptive dog, Enzo combines canine simplicity with trackside wisdom in a story that goes straight to the soul. Christopher Welch maintains Enzo's commonsense "voice" while offering subtle shadings to the voices of the humans in his life. The more any human character strays from honesty of the heart, the more caricature Welch's Enzo projects in his narration. The effect enables the listener to completely suspend disbelief of a storytelling mutt. On the track, as in life, Enzo knows that "to be a champion, you must give yourself over to the race." Stein and Welch have given themselves over to the story in a championship production. R.L.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

April 28, 2008
Christopher Evan Welch has a knack for delving into heart-wrenching material with finesse. Stein's tale of family, loss, redemption, and fast cars-recounted entirely from the perspective of a retriever-terrier mix named Enzo-ups the ante on the recent trend of high-concept anthropomorphism in popular fictions. Once listeners buy into Stein's premise, Welch faithfully delivers the goods. He is particularly effective in scenes where Enzo navigates the blurry area between his human-like thoughts and his base animal instincts (like when abandonment issues during a family medical emergency compel him to wreak havoc on a stuffed animal). Welch re-creates Enzo's pivotal moment of sheer bliss-riding on the track with his racecar driver human companion Denny-with evocative detail. The musical interludes at the start and end of the CD help preserve an earnest and dignified atmosphere. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 28).