The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautiful book that really reminded me of The Memory of Running. The story is incredibly simple, quite twee and predicable but completely and overwhelmingly carried along by Enzo – the dog who narrates the tale. He knows he’s not like other dogs, being able to understand humans after educating himself watching daytime TV while his owner Denny goes off to work and yet he is still very much a dog rather an a human in a dogs body.

The story almost isn’t important, a life story about his owner and his child and wife and various trials they have to go through but I still can’t recommend the book enough. I can’t stand dogs yet Enzo won me over completely and I blubbed through parts of the story without any hope of dignity. The parallels to motor racing (trust me it is not a book about cars!) and how rules of driving on a track in a race can mirror the challenges that life throws up against you are very well done. Buy it and let me know if you loved it, you will!