The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (2008, Hardcover)

I was skeptical at the beginning of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle; the opening scene featuring two men, a shady business dealing, and a dark alley, was highly disorienting. However, once past the murky introduction and into the actual story, I was totally absorbed. I do not consider myself a dog lover or a dog story lover, but this novel lacked the excessive syrup featured by others in the genre and contained a level of depth, emotion, and perspective that is uncommon for books in general.
Born mute, Edgar grows up on a dog farm with his family and suspects foul play in his father's sudden death. Edgar believes the person who killed his dad is a member of the family. He sets out to avenge his father's death in an attempt that goes horribly awry. He is then on the run from the law, accompanied by a few of the family dogs. Can he stand up to his father's murderer, or is he forever bound in silence?
Wroblewski has a way with words that is beautifully metaphorical without being forced. His descriptions are four-dimensional, as are the characters he creates. He twists readers around his finger, prodding them to root for the highly likable Edgar, simultaneous victim of unfortunate circumstances and perpetrator of a heinous crime. Wroblewski gives multiple perspectives, even delving into the minds of the family dogs.
The story is tragic, with a bittersweet ending, one that marvelously straddles the line between realism and fantasy. But the ending is one of the things I like so much about the story. Wroblewski refuses to compromise the world he's created for a stock storybook ending. Yet despite the consuming darkness in the book's final chapters, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Take the journey, you will fall victim to Edgar, the dogs, Wroblewski's richly fleshed-out world, or perhaps all three. Make sure to keep a box of tissues at hand.
Please note:
The book contains some obscenity, violence, and mature themes, and is not appropriate for children.

The book is a long read so I suggest to wait til you know you have a whole weekend to devote to this book. It's too involved to pick up and leave and return to it later.
In the beginning, the story takes place in Hong Kong, it's foreshadowing what
evil lies ahead, however you have no clue who this person is in Hong Kong...until much later in the story. It's the center of the story and all else surrounds it. I believe it's what kept me reading when at times I wondered where this was leading me, especially when at times the scenes dragged out slow and boring. But, as all good books, it doesn't last and picks up again.
So, if this happens to you, hang in there, keep reading for it is all worth it in the end. The dogs in this story was really something I've never read before in any other book in my 51 years. It was a lot of information about breeding dogs, which I who is a dog lover didn't need to know, but still it was important to the author to convey and a must for the story to come to its end.
The connection between humans and dogs as our pet, our partner, and companion, and even possibly our "Soulmate" (as mentioned in the book) was revealed in words that described this relationship of the heart so well.
I no longer cared or even thought of the boy as mute as time went on, perhaps because he signed his words with ASL and a little of his own, and was able to train the dogs on command using this sign language. Since he never went anywhere but school and home, there wasn't really any situation where he was forced to write his words on paper to communicate, with a few exceptions.
The ending is not at all what I expected, but I was left feeling mixed emotions about it. No Spoilers from me.
I find it worth the time to read and I'm glad I was able to buy the 1st/1st with Stephen Kings blurb. I just added it to my son's future library that I have been building for some years now.
I hope this review will be of some help.
Enjoy!

David Wroblewski's first novel takes place in rural Wisconsin and tells the story of Edgar a young boy born mute that is able to coummunicate with the canines his grandfather has bred. This was selected by Oprah for her book club for a reason, it is a story you can not put down.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Beautifully written. You'll laugh, you'll cry.

Based on the story of Hamlet, it is a modern tale of love, betral, revenge, and love.

The story revolves around our relationships with dogs. Even if you are not a dog lover, you will like this book.

I found this book in the Oprah's book club section at my local library, and took it home to read it. It is just the kind of book I really like. Well-written, about rural life - actually about a boy's life with his dogs, it was not full of sexual innuendo or tittilation. Just a deep, loving picture of a boy finding passion in his hobby (which is his family's livelihood) and learning to overcome the difficulties of his life.

I immediately went to eBay to see if I could get a good price on a copy. And got two. One for my mother, and one for me. And when it arrived I re-read it straight through.