The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
I finally finished reading 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' today. It is one of the most difficult books I have read for a while although it was beautifully told. The dogs in the books were described so well, in all their mannerisms, from cocking their heads to pushing past Edgar to get through a door and I was reminded so much of my dog Dane that sometimes I had to put the book down and occasionally tell myself it was too soon to read this book and that I would pick it up again in a few months when I had come to terms better with his death.
The story is about Edgar Sawtelle (which you may discern from the title of the book!), a boy who does not speak, although he can hear. He grows up happily enough with his parents, Gar and Trudie, bringing up and training dogs, which in their area are now known as 'Sawtelle Dogs'. The dogs are carefully bred and trained to think for themselves, make their own decisions, echoing the dream of Edgar's grandfather, John Sawtelle, to produce a dog that is unique. And then a tragedy strikes. If I tell you that the story has been compared to 'Hamlet' then it might give you an indication of the tragedy, although the parallels are not immediately obvious. Edgar decides that his father's brother, Claude, is to blame for the event that has occured and he comes to this conclusion on his own but also after a strange encounter with a ghost during a heavily rainy night.
A confrontation occurs - and then comes the most lovely part of the story, as Edgar strikes out into the wilderness with three of his dogs and learns a new life, surrounded by his pack. During some parts of the book he reads from The Jungle Book - and you can see why the story of Mowgli would appeal. There is much more to come - a beautiful friendship, answers of a sort, and the dream of Edgar's ancestors made flesh.
It's a lovely book, certainly one for dog lovers - David Wroblewski obviously knows dogs and a story that is oddly captivating - because it isn't in any way a heart-pumping thriller - yet it drew me in and lingered in my thoughts all the time until I read some more, and some more and then finally eschewed the world and just read it.
www.edgarsawtelle.com
The story is about Edgar Sawtelle (which you may discern from the title of the book!), a boy who does not speak, although he can hear. He grows up happily enough with his parents, Gar and Trudie, bringing up and training dogs, which in their area are now known as 'Sawtelle Dogs'. The dogs are carefully bred and trained to think for themselves, make their own decisions, echoing the dream of Edgar's grandfather, John Sawtelle, to produce a dog that is unique. And then a tragedy strikes. If I tell you that the story has been compared to 'Hamlet' then it might give you an indication of the tragedy, although the parallels are not immediately obvious. Edgar decides that his father's brother, Claude, is to blame for the event that has occured and he comes to this conclusion on his own but also after a strange encounter with a ghost during a heavily rainy night.
A confrontation occurs - and then comes the most lovely part of the story, as Edgar strikes out into the wilderness with three of his dogs and learns a new life, surrounded by his pack. During some parts of the book he reads from The Jungle Book - and you can see why the story of Mowgli would appeal. There is much more to come - a beautiful friendship, answers of a sort, and the dream of Edgar's ancestors made flesh.
It's a lovely book, certainly one for dog lovers - David Wroblewski obviously knows dogs and a story that is oddly captivating - because it isn't in any way a heart-pumping thriller - yet it drew me in and lingered in my thoughts all the time until I read some more, and some more and then finally eschewed the world and just read it.
www.edgarsawtelle.com