Books › The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
a novel
904 pages
A tragic, elemental family saga that explores the profound silence of grief, the limits of language, and the deep bonds between humans and dogs.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like stepping into the sweeping, elemental landscape of the northern woods, where the quiet beauty of an idyllic farm is slowly overshadowed by creeping tragedy. The narrative unfolds with a steady, reverent pace, wrapping the reader in a deeply atmospheric world defined by the changing seasons and the profound, unspoken bonds between humans and animals. As the story shifts from pastoral peace to sudden grief and betrayal, the mood darkens into something raw and desperate. The prose is breathtaking and classic, rendering fateful visions and the harsh realities of wilderness survival with masterful precision. It is a deeply moving experience for anyone who loves dramatic family sagas that explore the limits of language, the weight of legacy, and the fierce devotion that calls us home.
- Mood
- elemental
- grief-stricken
- atmospheric
- pastoral
- Tone
- earnest
- dramatic
- reverent
- tragic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the limits of language · human-animal bonds · grief and betrayal · coming of age in the wild · family legacy
- The writing
- Breathtaking and elemental, rendering sweeping seasons and fateful visions with a masterful, classic storytelling voice.
- The arc
- Moves from an idyllic, quiet pastoral existence into sudden grief and betrayal, culminating in a desperate wilderness survival and a fateful return home.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love atmospheric, tragic family sagas deeply rooted in the natural world and the profound, unspoken bonds between humans and dogs.
Content notes
- grief
- fratricide
- parental death
- animal peril
About the book
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm--and into Edgar's mother's affections.
Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires--spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward.
David Wroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes--the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a fateful vision rendered in the falling rain--create a riveting family saga, a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic.
Description from Open Library.
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