The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE; David Wroblewski; New York: HarperCollins, 2008;
562p. Fiction.

Edgar Sawtelle's story is "Hamlet" on the farm with dogs. It is too sad to read, but too beautiful not to read. Edgar's family breeds, raises, and trains dogs, not by bloodline as much as by character, following the lead of the grandfather, who traded his pups for pups of dogs he admired.
The family of people and dogs live in Elsinore-like isolation, a seemingly impenetrable fortress of love and light and happiness, until Edgar's Uncle Claude shows up, and everything is poisoned in more ways than one. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is one of the best novels I have ever read, particularly for a first novel. Simply stunning.

LW