The Art of Racing in the Rain: Chapter 17 Summary & Analysis

Enzo begins, saying the car goes where your eyes go. The family goes to Denny Creek for a hike, and Enzo is let off leash. He says the smell would've given him an erection if he still had testicles, but it was fantastic nonetheless. He lets himself go like a crazy dog, chasing animals and rolling in the earth.

They arrive at the Slippery Slabs, a series of flat slick rocks in the creek. Denny, Eve, and Zoë strip to their swimsuits, and since Zoë is old enough to navigate parts of the creek herself, Eve stands upstream and Denny stands downstream and they slide Zoë down the rocks as she splashes and laughs. Enzo says that people and dogs love repetition because even though each incident is similar, it's so very different from the last. They keep sliding Zoë down the rocks.

Then, Eve dips Zoë into the river and rather than splashing, Zoë pulls her feet out of the water and upsets Eve's balance. Eve manages to release Zoë onto a dry rock, but isn't able to recover her own balance. She slips on the slick rock and falls, her head bouncing on the rock twice. Eve is still and Zoë sits, not knowing what to do. Denny runs to them. They make it to the hospital by early evening.

On the drive Eve keeps saying she’s okay, but she obviously isn't. Her words slur and she keeps nodding off, and Denny keeps waking her up. Eve, Denny, and Zoë go into the hospital and leave Enzo in the car with the windows cracked. He curls up and sleeps.