Edgar Sawtelle

Wow!

Really. Wow. Go get this book and read it. It is that simple. If you are a dog lover, that is an extra bonus.

It entered Oprah’s Book Club in September of 2008 and soon became a bestseller. The story connects three generations of the Sawtelle family. The grandfather started a dog breeding business, probably somewhere in Wisconsin, with about 40 acres of rural land. One of the sons, Gar, stayed to run the family business and the other, Claude, left, but comes back early in the story. Edgar, Gar’s son, is the third generation and practically grew up among dogs.

The Sawtelle dogs, as the grandfather envisioned the new breed, were to be unique, in both breeding methodology and philosophy. He started with seed dogs that matched his imagination. Then the long and tedious process of genetic programming began: culling undesirable traits and enhancing otherwise. By necessity, the Sawtelle family must observe the entire lives of these dogs, and keep meticulous records, since some traits do not show up until late. It also requires vigorous training, else how can one tell the difference between nature and nurture? David Wroblewski portrays those dogs with such vivid characters that he must be a dog lover, even maybe a breeder. The bonding between dogs and human, in the book, is beyond “man’s best friend” by several notches.

The crescendo of the plot was unbearably intense, and getting unreal, and easily ruined, at the end. I made several comments and Kid, good kid, held her tongue and facial expression by not revealing anything. Of course, I “joined the club” and let out a big sigh when I put down the book. Oprah advised not reading the flaps and the publisher dully revised the printing. If you got the wrong copy, heed Oprah’s words.