I think the best testament to a book is how much you remember and how it affects your life. I remember bits and pieces of this book constantly. I don't want to give anything away but when Edgar goes on his great adventure I found the book especially memorable (I felt like I was actually Edgar, a young boy with my dogs and not a grandma of young boys). Actually it's been almost a year since I've read this book and I brought it with me in the truck to reread. I could see some parts of the plot coming from miles away such as the sinister character but others were a complete surprise which is also a testament to a great book. If you love dogs as I do and appreciate a mystery or thriller this is a book for you or if you like Oprah's Book Club books. It is the 2008 selection of Oprah's Book Club. Although it's about a boy and dogs readers of Chick Lit or even love stories will like The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle.
Mr. W says that we write the books that we would like to read. He goes on to say:
I wished I could read a novel about a boy and his dog, one that integrated our contemporary knowledge of canine behavior, cognition, and origins with my experience of living with dogs; if possible, something flavored with the uncynical Midwestern sense of heart and purpose so familiar from my childhood.Mr. W also says that this is a story of a boy and his dog and ethics and character which pretty well sums the whole thing up. The review also said this is a modern day Hamlet which could be true. It's a beautiful beautiful book written so you are in the world which Edgar inhabits and no other.
Stephen King said when he got close to the end he kept finding excuses to put the book down, not because he didn't like it but because he did and wanted to prolong the experience. I know that it's the book I chose to reread although it's only been a year since my first reading. It's a book that will transport you away from the mundane, Mr. W is a superb writer and to think this is his first novel is astounding.
