A Catty Response to Everett Reads!

Here at the library we strive to have a balanced collection that expresses many different viewpoints. We have gotten a few complaints this year that our selection for Everett Reads!, The Art of Racing in the Rain, might be a tad pro dog. It is a charge that we take seriously.

In the interest of balance we have invited a guest blogger, Cora the Cat, to give us her views on our Everett Reads! selection and in particular the psychological state of the narrator Enzo. Be warned. Cora’s observations are intelligent, witty and a little scathing. But, really, what else would you expect from a feline?

Dear A Reading Life,

I submit that due to multiple unresolved traumas, the unfortunate canine in The Art of Racing in the Rain suffered increasingly profound mental illness, culminating in a psychotic rupture.

Yaaawwwwwrrr.

I understand there can be valid reasons for using a canine as literary narrator. Serious works by Cervantes, Gogol, Bulgakov and Kafka have used this literary device “to provide commentary on issues such as moral behavior, musical aesthetics, the writer’s art, the limits of science, and the approach of modernity” (1). In The Art of Racing in the Rain, however, using this canine for this purpose is rendered futile by the animal’s deteriorating mental state.

In addition to limited intelligence, canines have extremely weak ego structures, indeed functioning nearly as parasitic appendages of their human hosts. In this case Enzo, the canine subject, was also subject to a series of early ego-disrupting traumas.

Enzo’s youth was spent on a spacious farm, after which he was moved to a house, and finally to the confines of an urban apartment. This shrinkage of his physical space was paralleled by an expansion through his ego space of a delusion of reincarnation in the form of his human hosts.

This colonization of his weakened ego structure was abetted by his painfully arthritic hip, the loss of his principle female host, and his life tutelage via chronic television watching. Given academic studies about the social and psychological distortions wrought by television watching, it is no wonder Enzo attaches to reincarnation, probably derived from a program on the History Channel.

The episode involving the carnage of the stuffed zebra is classic projection, as the repressed rage engendered by his repeated traumas and distorted world view erupt into the physical environment. After this episode, all that remains of Enzo’s ego structure is a flexible membrane, filled with psychotic delusions.

I find it sad that readers are beguiled by this seemingly heartwarming story, which masks a pathetic case of ego dissolution and mental breakdown. Mmrrroowwwrr!

Purrrrrrr.

Cora the Cat

(1) Schneider, Ivan. “Narrative Complexity in the Talking-Dog Stories of Cervantes, Hoffmann, Gogol, Bulgakov, and Kafka.” Master’s Thesis, Harvard University, 2012.

Be sure to visit A Reading Life for more reviews and news of all things happening at the Everett Public Library

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Everett P. Fog, 15, in front of an Everett mural along Colby Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Hello, Everett! No escape when your name is same as the town

Everett P. Fog, 15, sees and hears his first name wherever he goes. His middle name is also epic.

Jared Meads takes a breath after dunking in an ice bath in his back yard while his son Fallen, 5, reads off the water temperature on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Chill out: Dive into the cold plunge craze

Plungers say they get mental clarity and relief for ails in icy water in tubs, troughs and clubs.

Schack exhibit to highlight Camano Island watercolorists

“Four Decades of Friendship: John Ebner & John Ringen” will be on display Jan. 16 through Feb. 9.

XRT Trim Adds Rugged Features Designed For Light Off-Roading
Hyundai Introduces Smarter, More Capable Tucson Compact SUV For 2025

Innovative New Convenience And Safety Features Add Value

Sequoia photo provided by Toyota USA Newsroom
If Big Is Better, 2024 Toyota Sequoia Is Best

4WD Pro Hybrid With 3-Rows Elevates Full-Size

2025 Toyota Land Cruiser (Provided by Toyota).
2025 Toyota Land Cruiser revives its roots

After a 3-year hiatus, the go-anywhere SUV returns with a more adventurous vibe.

Enjoy the wilderness in the CX-50. Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda CX-50 Adds Hybrid Capability to Turbo Options

Line-Up Receives More Robust List Of Standard Equipment

Practical And Functional bZ4X basks in sunshine. Photo provided by Toyota Newsroom.
2024 bZ4X Puts Toyota Twist On All-Electric SUV’s

Modern Styling, Tech & All-Wheel Drive Highlight

Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatch Delivers Value

Plus Functionality of AWD And G-Vectoring

2025 Mazda CX-90 Turbo SUV (Provided by Mazda)
2025 CX-90 Turbo models get Mazda’s most powerful engine

Mazda’s largest-ever SUV is equipped to handle the weight, with fuel efficiency kept in check.

Provided by Bridges Pets, Gifts, & Water Gardens.
Discover where to find the best pet supplies in town

Need the perfect store to spoil your furry friends? Herald readers have you covered.

VW Jetta SEL is a sedan that passes for a coupe. Photo provided by Volkswagen U.S. Media.
2025 VW Jetta Offers Greater Refinement, Technology And Value

A Perfect Choice For Small Families And Commuters

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.