The Art of Racing in the Rain Ayrton Senna

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QUESTIONS FOR Give-and-take

• Some early readers of the novel take observed that viewing the world through a dog'southward eyes makes for a greater appreciation of being human being. Why do you recollect this is?
• Enzo'due south observations throughout the novel provide insight into his world view. For example:
  • "The visible becomes inevitable."
  • "Understanding the truth is uncomplicated. Allowing oneself to feel it, is frequently terrifically hard."
  • "No race has ever been won in the get-go corner; many races have been lost there."

  How does his philosophy apply to existent life?

• In the volume'south darkest moments, ane of Zoe'due south stuffed animals — the zebra — comes to life and threatens Enzo. What does the zebra symbolize?
• Tin yous imagine the novel beingness told from Denny's bespeak of view? How would it make the story different?
• In the get-go affiliate, Enzo says: "It'south what'due south inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human being." How does Enzo'south state of affairs–a man soul trapped in a domestic dog'south body–influence his opinions about what he sees around him? How do yous feel about the ideas of reincarnation and karma as Enzo defines them?
• Do you notice yourself looking at your ain dog differently subsequently reading this novel?
• In the book, we get glimpses into the mindset and mentality of a race car commuter. What parallels can yous think of between the art of racing and the art of living?
• The character of Ayrton Senna, as he is presented in the book, is heroic, almost a mythic effigy. Why do you recollect this character resonates so strongly for Denny?

AUTHOR Q&A

Q: Where did the idea for the book come from?

The offset seed for this book was planted in my mind well-nigh ten years agone. I was no longer working in documentary films, but a friend asked me to consult on the U.S. distribution of a motion picture he knew about from Mongolia, called "Country of Dogs." I took a look at the film and the press material they had on it. I didn't end upwards getting involved with the film, only the idea really stuck with me. In Mongolia, at that place is a belief that the next incarnation for a dog is as a homo. I thought this was a absurd concept and I tucked information technology away thinking I might some day do something with it.

Then, in 2004, I saw Billy Collins speak at Seattle Arts and Lectures. He's a great poet and a terrific reader. He read a poem, The Revenant, which is told from the point of view of a recently euthanized dog as he addresses his erstwhile chief from heaven. The verse form begins, "I am the canis familiaris yous put to slumber…come back to tell you one simple thing: I never liked you–not one chip." I loved this poem. When Billy Collins finished reading, I knew I had to write a story from the point of view of a dog. And my dog would know the truth: that in his next incarnation, he would return to earth every bit a man.

So I had the character and the goal, just I still needed the framework of a story. A close friend of mine, who is a semi-professional race car driver but who supplements his racing past working behind the counter at an upscale automotive repair store, was going through some personal difficulties. His plight wasn't Denny'southward, just it gave me some ideas nigh what happens to families when one member all of a sudden passes away. I developed a story that would really put my master grapheme, Denny, through his paces, and and then it was all in that location for me.

Q: What inspired you to tell the story from a dog's signal of view?

Using a dog as a narrator has limitations and information technology has advantages. The limitations are that a dog cannot speak. A dog has no thumbs. A canis familiaris can't communicate his thoughts except with gestures. Dogs are not allowed certain places. The advantages are that a dog has special access: people volition say things in front of dogs because it is assumed that a dog doesn't understand. Dogs are immune to witness sure things because they aren't people and have no judgment.

I was able to work with this idea a lot in terms of giving the reader a unique viewpoint into the action of the book. Enzo goes off with Zoë, and while Denny, her father, doesn't know what happens, nosotros see through Enzo's eyes and so we do know. In that sense, it was a lot of fun playing with this "fly on the wall" point of view. Especially since the "fly" in our example, is Enzo, who has very keen powers of observation.

Q: Is there whatsoever significance to the name Enzo?

Yeah! Denny's dog, Enzo, is named after Enzo Ferrari, who built one of the greatest car trademarks in the globe. Ferrari automobiles are famous everywhere. And Ferrari is a dominant player in the globe of Formula I racing.

Simply I take a funny story about how I arrived at Enzo's name….

When I first started writing this novel, Enzo was not named Enzo. He was named Juan Pablo, later Juan Pablo Montoya, the race car commuter. When my married woman read the first few pages, she said that she loved what I was writing, but the name of the dog wasn't quite right.

"How about Enzo?" she asked. We had two sons already, and were expecting our third. I had ever wanted to name one of my boys Enzo. I thought information technology was the ultimate cool name: Enzo Stein. But my wife very much disagreed. "We have a lot of unlike nationalities in our combined backgrounds," she reasoned. "Russian, German, Austrian, Tlingit Indian, Irish, English…merely we take no Italian."

"But then we won't exist able to name the infant Enzo," I said.

"I idea of that," she said, nodding slowly.

"I really wanted to name him Enzo," I said. "Enzo, the dog, is your new babe," she replied. "And when our new baby comes, we'll find the right name for him."

(For those of y'all who are interested: We named our son Dashiell.)

Q: Are you a dog owner yourself?

Yes. Our dog, Comet, is a Lab/poodle mix. She's goofy and empty-headed and sweet.

Q: The racing scenes evangelize a real adrenaline rush and a feel for the intricacies of the sport. Is this seemingly expert knowledge based on personal experience or extensive inquiry?

When I moved back to Seattle in 2001, I got involved in "loftier performance driver education," which is a fancy mode of saying I learned to drive a auto really fast on a race track. That soon led to my getting my racing license with the Sports Car Lodge of America (SCCA). While I did fairly well equally a driver (I won the points title in the NW region Spec Miata class in 2003), I didn't really take the skill equally a mechanic or the time and money needed to really excel. When I crashed my car pretty badly–ironically, while racing in the rain–I decided to semi-retire from racing, and now I simply race enough to go on my license current.

The funny affair is that while I love cars, I never really idea of myself as a "automobile guy." When I finished the draft of this book, my married woman said, "So that's why you were racing. You lot were doing enquiry!" I guess, on a subconscious level, that's what I was doing.

Q: The custody battle betwixt the widower Denny and the parents of his late wife is ugly and horrible, with the latter trying to manipulate the outcome by whatever ways necessary. Is this over the top portrayal meant to be colored by Enzo's strong feelings of loyalty?

Whatsoever narrative bespeak of view is biased–the narrator has his opinions–and Enzo is extremely biased toward all things Denny and family. So what Enzo relates to united states is filtered through a couple of things: showtime, being a dog, he's limited in what he is allowed to see; second, being so devoted to his master, his opinions are all highly skewed.

That beingness said, I have spoken with attorneys who accept assured me that in custody and visitation battles, especially ones involving grandparents, things tin can get extremely ruthless, and it is non inconceivable that, for case, one side might try to drag things out in gild to put the other political party into farthermost economic distress.

Q: The book contains many wise phrases. Which is your favorite? Why?

Oh, I can't practise that. I love all my children equally! (Okay, I'd have to option: "Somewhere, the zebra is dancing." There's merely something and then funny and incongruous most the zebra! I know information technology'southward not i of the "wise" phrases, just it's my favorite one-liner.)

Q: Why was racing your sporting illustration of choice? Do you await that a novel about a race machine driver, told from his dog's viewpoint, will be more than appealing to men than women?

Honestly, the idea for this book grew organically from a Mongolian film about reincarnation I saw well-nigh 15 years ago. I didn't fix out to write well-nigh racing or cars; the racing came into it considering of my own racing experiences and the keen people I met while I was doing it. While men typically are more into cars than women, the response I've gotten from women is merely equally passionate most racing as the response I've gotten from men, and I retrieve that'due south due to Enzo's unbridled passion.

Q: What lessons can we all learn from Enzo?

I'm not sure that's for me to approximate. But I would say the important things for me are twofold.

First, Enzo's mantra: "That which you manifest is before you lot." I think it'south very important to take charge of your life, non to feel like yous're a victim of circumstance or fate, but that you lot are an active participant in your future. It's non a new idea: "And in the terminate, the dear y'all take is equal to the love you brand." (Lennon/McCartney) Where I focus my energy always matches what comes back to me in my life.

Secondly, Enzo'southward epiphany–the affair he learns at the stop of his life–is that his supposition that race car drivers take to be selfish to be successful, is incorrect. In fact, he determines, in order to be successful, a race motorcar commuter has to be completely selfless. He must cease looking at himself equally the brightest star in the solar system, and begin to meet himself as but a unique aspect of the universe around him–and, virtually importantly, equally an extension of the universe around him. In this way, a race car driver sheds his ego; his actions become pure and as powerful equally the entire universe, which in turn leads to success.

All athletes speak nearly the mental element of athletics, and it usually boils down to the same thing: if you tin remove your ego from the game, you lot can function with much more clarity and yous are more likely to succeed. Wouldn't it be interesting if we all began speaking about the mental element of our lives in this mode? How would our lives change if we did?

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Source: http://www.garthstein.com/works/the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain/reading-group-guide/

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