The Art of Racing in the Rain (2008)

Fans of Marley & Me, rejoice: Here's a schmaltz-soaked novel told from the point of view of a large, lovable mutt named Enzo. From his deathbed, the pooch recalls his beloved Denny, a struggling race-car driver; Denny's wife, Eve, who succumbs to brain cancer; and their daughter, Zoë. (Enzo smelled the cancer — ''like rotting wood, mushrooms, decay'' — long before doctors detected it.) Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain is sweet but predictable, from Denny's custody battle with Zoë's grandparents to the heart-tugging end. Yet to my surprise, I teared up when Enzo went to the Endless Field in the Sky. B-