The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Book Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

By: David Wroblewski

Here’s an embarrassing little side story: I have loved dogs my whole life. When I was younger, I had this huge Pedigree poster on my wall that listed all kinds of dogs: their characteristics, colors, shape, their personalities…there were hundreds of them. I studied it all the time and would pick out my favorite ones.

As my imagination was a little fresher (and less cynical) back when I was a child,  I used to think that if I looked at a dog with a special little look I could communicate with them with my mind.

Lol. Ok I know. Dog to human mental telepathy? Its lame, but wouldn’t it be such a gift? Such a special way to tell the dog what you want them to do. Dogs have adapted to humans in such a way that commanding a dog with a look is, to a point, possible, though not the way my 10 year old brain dreamed ;)

Dogs. Our ever faithful companions. Loyal and loving. Forgiving and trustful. These animals have the amazing skill of seeming to know when their owners are happy, sad, mad, frustrated, excited. With one little look, if they could take some of your pain way or you could take some of their bottomless-no matter what you do-how much you yell-I still trust you-love...what a wonderful thing would that be?

This book kind of covers that idea. Of the companionship between man and his best friend. It is about a family that breeds a fictional breed of dog and what happens to each of them when tragedy strikes. Its a novel that is so powerfully beautiful and touching that you won’t want to put it down.

I found this blirp on amazon, and I think that it sums ups what I'm trying to say. So thank you Mr. King for writing the words that I am thinking post-novel but cant seem to type out:

Praise from Stephen King

"I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and spent twelve happy evenings immersed in the world David Wroblewski has created. As I neared the end, I kept finding excuses to put the book aside for a little, not because I didn't like it, but because I liked it too much; I didn't want it to end. Dog-lovers in particular will find themselves riveted by this story, because the canine world has never been explored with such imagination and emotional resonance. Yet in the end, this isn't a novel about dogs or heartland America--although it is a deeply American work of literature. It's a novel about the human heart, and the mysteries that live there, understood but impossible to articulate. Yet in the person of Edgar Sawtelle, a mute boy who takes three of his dogs on a brave and dangerous odyssey, Wroblewski does articulate them, and splendidly. I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories: It's over, you think, and I won't read another one this good for a long, long time.

What a fantastic book. If you are a dog lover, GO GET THIS ONE!

Cheers!