The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
David Wroblewski
4th Estate

The Sawtelle’s live on a remote farm where they train dogs and then when old enough place them into homes. Gar and Trudy after many attempts finally have a son. Edgar, a smart and otherwise healthy child has never had the power of speech. When his father dies under suspicious circumstances, Edgar initially blames himself till on a stormy night he is visited by the ghost of his father.

Wroblewski’s first novel is lucky enough to have the stamp most authors can only dream about – Oprah Book Club. For me however it was the write up at the back of the book by Stephen King that peaked my curiosity. He wrote‘I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories…I wont read one this good for a long time.’ I too had felt the same ache many times before, a deep regret equal to parting with a close friend. Such expectations probably added to my deep disappointment when I read this highly praised novel. Long passages, though beautifully crafted and executed in lyrical perfection, dragged on to the extent that made me wish for more assertive editing. Equally I found endless scenes and explanations on dog breeding and training, tedious and arduous read. If I was not on holiday and my readily supply of books, I would have moved on to a different book within the first 100 pages.

Fortunately the pace and the narrative of the book lifted in the second half of the book when Edgar escapes home with three of his dogs. For the first time I slowed down my reading, not so impatient to finish it. Incredibly unlike the slow pace throughout the book, the ending was rushed, leaving me bewildered by how the story folded into itself.

When my husband asked me to describe my feelings towards the book, I compared The Story of Edgar Sawtelle to Prince’s greatest hits double album – It would have made a great single album!