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, 2009 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 08]