Book #31 of 2011: the Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
I really did not know what I was getting into here. I heard "it's narrated by a dog" and did not imagine that that would lead to so much sadness. I feel as though at least half of the chapters made me either tear up or actually cry for one reason or another. Plus, it picked up where the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks left off in the making-me-even-more-scared-of-cancer vein, this time with additional fear of evil in-laws!
Despite my failure to appreciate all the allusions to auto racing and the fairly constant sadness I felt while reading it, it was worth the read. Some of the plot points were predictable, and some were just plain spelled out ahead of time by our canine narrator, but somehow that didn't matter much, because I was still emotionally invested.
[SPOILER ALERT] Even if it was a bit too neat of a wrap-up to hint that dogs can be reincarnated as humans, it's still a pleasant idea. Though, I take to dogs so much easier than to (most) people that it seems like it might be a step in the wrong direction.
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