Lassie + Hamlet= The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleski, reviewed by Steve on 9/7/2008

David Wrobleski's debut novel has received much literary attention, and has been touted by some, such as O Magazine, as being a modern-day classic.

The novel tells the tale of a boy named Edgar Sawtelle, who is born a mute in 1970's Wisconsin. His family is renowned for their legendary breed of dogs, known only as Sawtelle Dogs, which they have been breeding for generations. Edgar's parents, Gar and Trudy, have continued the Sawtelle Dog program and raise Edgar to do the same. Though Edgar cannot speak, a unique sign language develops between himself, his parents, and the dogs, all of whom understand Edgar remarkably well.

As the story progresses with Edgar's upbringing and dog-training, the idyllic setting is usurped by Edgar's uncle, Claude. A former Navy man, Claude has never been part of Edgar's life until he shows up to the Sawtelle farm looking for work and Gar reluctantly acquiesces. It gradually becomes clear to Edgar that there is an underlying tension between Gar and his brother Claude, and this begins to manifest itself ever more clearly and violently, until it comes to a head with a murder.

Edgar is forced to flee the once tranquil farm and plunge into the Wisconsin wilderness with three of the Sawtelle dogs. Edgar's escape is troubled by more than just the police pursuit, and he finds himself alternating between hunting, gathering, and stealing to survive. Though he manages to elude his pursuers and sever his ties from home, a sense of homesickness pervades Edgar and he longs to return to his old life back on the farm. After months away from the Sawtelle farm, Edgar ventures homeward with a renewed sense of purpose and retribution, which can only bring devastation, but is nonetheless irresistible.

David Wrobleski's novel is perhaps best described as being elaborate. Elements from Shakespeare merge with Sophocles with a healthy dose of Lassie and Old Yeller thrown into the mix, and the narrative is articulated with poetic precision and infused with both a Romantic awe for the natural world and the desire to explore it, a la James Fenimore Cooper.

Of particular strength is Wrobleski's description and characterization of the Sawtelle dogs, who seem to have a deep spiritual and philosophical understanding of humanity. One of the most memorable characters of the novel is Almodine, Edgar's first dog, who raised him just as much as his human mother, Trudy. Almodine, always loyal, ever graceful, serves Edgar with the same sense of selflessness and dedication as Samwise Gamgee does for Frodo in The Lord of the Rings.

As a novel, I would rate this at a 3 on the 1-5 scale. I did enjoy reading it, but there are large sections of the narrative that get bogged down and do not seem to serve any real purpose for the story. Additionally, I felt that while Wrobleski suggested a sort of higher spirituality for the Sawtelle dogs, he did not go as far with that idea as I thought he would. This aspect is largely a matter of opinion, but I thought that much more could have been done with the dogs and their role within the story.

What was most disappointing to me was the end of the novel, which seemed far too cold and tragic. I suppose that if the author was modelling his plot upon Hamlet or Oedipus Rex, the conclusion cannot be anything other than tragic. Yet in doing this, the richness and spirituality as evoked by the Sawtelle Dogs is largely sacrificed, and I was left uncertain what the meaning of this sign now meant. Was it that the human condition is inevitably tragic? Are humans doomed to cause harm, having only momentary blips of benevolence? In the same way that Huck Finn's ending is both troubling and ambiguous, so too is the conclusion to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.
Regardless, it was a good read overall; I did enjoy reading the novel and I would recommend it to others, especially those who love dogs.

Cheers,
Steve