The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a modern tragedy, harrowing, haunting , and beautiful. Half of me is sorry I ever read it, and the other half rejoices in the mind that created it.
I am a dedicated breeder of dogs and was struck by the discussions of breeding theory.
However, in the end, the blurring of our common sense teaching of that which separates man and beasts is FREE WILL, and the Sawtelle dogs' evolution where they choose their destiny, is inspiring.
And then there's, Almondine...
Wroblewski,
Thou hast cleft my heart
in twain.

This is the most depressing book I've ever read. Seriously, and I just finished The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.

I greatly enjoyed this book about a farm family breeding and raising dogs in northern Wisconsin. The story beautifully evokes the textures and rhythms of rural life in the mid-twentieth century, as a mute boy grows and learns the many nuances of dog-rearing and training. Meanwhile, the backstory is the interplay between his parents and his father's estranged brother, hinting at darker pasts. After his father's death, Edgar Sawtelle slowly comes to the realization that his uncle is responsible for that death, and that his uncle is very subtly weaving his sinister grasp around Edgar's mother and Edgar's beloved dog Almondine. This leads to a sequence of events that, like a building country storm, eventually leads Edgar to flee into the wilderness of geography and emotion, from which he eventually returns to an epic climax of confrontation with his uncle.

I was, however, disappointed by the ending, which I found needlessly saddening and tragic. I so hoped for the ending I envisioned as I read, a happier denouement perhaps involving Henry, Trudy, an ordinary life, and a mute young man heeding a blonde siren's call to the Starchild Colony.

Ah well. I will certainly eagerly await David Wroblewski's next story.

I finished this powerful book yesterday and find myself filled with grief at its tragic ending after so many pages of serene and beautiful moments. The book is a story of love, trust, and faithful devotion. It is so hard to come to the end of a book like this and the story haunts me.

Wroblewski is a talented writer. His word images inspire a sense of awe. I wish more people, including myself could write the way he does. It is delicious.

I am still pondering the bigger truths contained within this novel and especially the tragedy of the ending. Why would a loving God destroy what had started with started with so much promise?

The Sawtelle dogs represented intelligence, respect, discipline, companionship and a powerful bond with man. The dream was to create something better than man had ever witnessed before, a bond of love with conscious connection. Perhaps DOG is really code for GOD! Edgar embodied that bond with consiousness and lived fully present with it.

Qualities I love about Edgar as a character include his simplicity, tenacity, attention to detail, intelligence beyond his years, appreciation of history, devotion, silliness and determination. The rare moments when Edgar slipped into fear or anger were when love was threatened - the loss of his father, the family business, an injured animal and separation from his beloved dog Almondine. Edgar is self-less and pure. He is a Christ-like figure who served something beyond himself and lived for love.

I loved this book even though it tore my heart out. Just as life will eventually break your heart, love is the eternal power that repairs the heart and restores all things.

The book had so many wonderful qualities. As many have already reported, however, the ending was shocking. I couldn't believe that the book was over at that point. It was out of sync with what had been leading up to it. It simply didn't tie any of the themes together. I felt like I had been tricked into caring about these people only to have the author drop the ball.