Remember The Art of Racing in the Rain, the million-dollar novel by Garth Stein that HarperCollins picked up last summer? Looks like they’ll make every penny back and then some: Starbucks is going to start selling the book in a few weeks.
Just so you know what to expect: Imagine all the emotional drama of Love Story, Kramer Vs. Kramer, and that Jon Voight remake of The Champ rolled into one novel… and then have it narrated by the most adorable dog in the world. Polished to an unabashedly commercial sheen—as in, the style is solid, even great in spots, but never gets in the way of keeping the story moving forward—this book already had bestseller written all over it; the Starbucks deal just removes whatever suspense was still lingering. (Although, really, after this and How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets, it may be time for Stein to retire the “guy raises a kid on his own after the mother dies” plot device; where else can he take it?)