The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel

I picked up The Story of Edgar Sawtelle not really knowing anything about it.  After reading the book jacket I was intrigued with the idea of a boy who could not speak, but could hear.  That is where my fascination with this novel ended.  The story, while interesting, seemed to move too slowly to truly keep my attention.  I also had a challenging time keeping details straight.  Normally this isn't an issue for me.  I had to reread sections several times to understand them.  In more than one instance, I never did grasp the section I reread.

Comparisons of this novel to Hamlet have been made.  I will readily admit that my recollection of Shakespeare's tragedy is rusty, at best.  This comparison especially confused me in light of the character of Ida Paine.  Creepy soothsayers can be found in MacBeth, not Hamlet.  In any case, I won't make a list of comparisons between Wroblewski's work and Shakespeare's.  But, it should be noted that the author himself readily admits the similarities.

Not being a dog person, I wasn't entirely drawn into the story as I would imagine someone with a love and passion for dogs would be.  However, the concept of how and why certain dogs are mated and how certain traits are encouraged was fascinating.  Overall, I wish more had been told just how Edgar was able to train the dogs despite his language limitations.  I really don't think the author did this aspect justice.

Overall, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, was an intriguing read, but not one that I would want to revisit again... unlike the many ghosts that revisit Edgar.