I just finished a haunting book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wrobelewski. The novel has been compared to Hamlet and Watership Down. It is a great book worthy of your time. Beautifully and artfully written. Dog owners will especially love it, but the story goes far deeper.
I find myself filled with grief at its tragic ending after so many pages of serene and beautiful moments. The book is a story of love, trust, and faithful devotion. It is so hard to come to the end of a book like this and the story haunts me.
Wroblewski is a talented writer. His word images inspire a sense of awe. I wish more people, including myself could write the way he does. It is delicious.
I am still pondering the bigger truths contained within this novel and especially the tragedy of the ending. Why would a loving God destroy what had started with so much promise?
The Sawtelle dogs represented intelligence, respect, discipline, companionship and a powerful bond with man. The dream was to create something better than man had ever witnessed before, a bond of love with conscious connection. Perhaps DOG is really code for GOD! Edgar embodied that bond with consiousness and lived fully present with it.
Qualities I love about Edgar as a character include his simplicity, tenacity, attention to detail, intelligence beyond his years, appreciation of history, devotion, silliness and determination. The rare moments when Edgar slipped into fear or anger were when love was threatened – the loss of his father, the family business, an injured animal and separation from his beloved dog Almondine. Edgar is self-less and pure. He is a Christ-like figure who served something beyond himself and lived for love.
I loved this book even though it tore my heart out. Just as life will eventually break your heart, love is the eternal power that repairs the heart and restores all things.
Here’s the link to Amazon in case you are inspired to read it too:
