My Urban Chick

I’m usually an avid reader.  I once set my elementary school record for reading the most pages ever – 40,000.  I guess you could call me somewhat of a bookworm.  So, imagine my surprise when I found myself taking 8 long months to finish a book.  Especially when word of mouth for the book was so good.  Because the pacing of the book was sooo slow, it only got really good at the very end.

I finally finished it a few nights ago and after digesting it, I realized I did have a lot to say about it so I figured I’d write my thoughts down.  The book is called The Life of Edgar Sawtelle and is written by David Wroblewski.  For those who plan on reading the book, please don’t read any further as the next paragraphs pretty much give the whole thing away (SPOILER ALERT).  I’ll do my best to restrain myself and not write a full on essay.

The story is centered on the life of a young fourteen-year-old boy, Edgar Sawtelle, as he grows up on a farm in the Midwest.  His family, through generations of breeding, has raised Sawtelle dogs, which they train and find homes for as adults.  Things turn tragic when Edgar’s long lost uncle, Claude, returns and Edgar’s father mysteriously dies.  The story then becomes eerily similar to Hamlet, as Edgar’s uncle marries his mother while Edgar becomes haunted by his father’s ghost and obsessively tries to prove Claude’s hand in his death.

I didn’t have much interest in whether or not Claude actually murdered Edgar’s father.  Instead, I focused on Edgar’s relationship with his childhood dog, Almondine.  In some ways, Almondine is even more of a mother than his own, as she senses that there is something wrong with him as a baby and senses his needs as he grows up.  Since his birth, Edgar is unable to speak, and the idea of spoken words becomes a central theme throughout the novel.

Edgar’s relationship with Almondine is central to this theme.  Almondine and Edgar become attuned to each other as he grows up and you can sense the depth of their relationship as she longs for Edgar once he flees.   Wroblewski description of her pain is particularly heartbreaking.  Ironically, those who are most capable of speaking become the ones to hide their true words.  Trudy, Edgar’s mother, does not really let on how sick she is and Claude hides his deceptions from others.  Ultimately, the author’s genuine love for dogs and the depth of the relationship between Almondine and Edgar is what I will truly enjoy from this book.