The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

            

               Eventually everyone dies, and eventually we all lose someone wonderful, it's a part of life. Someone inevitably will tell us some lie like "Time heals all wounds" or try to sooth us with the promise that whoever it was is happier now, but no matter what words they choose, it'll never be the right ones. Nobody knows what you need in those moments but you, and it's up to you to decide what happens next. There are only two things in life that truly make us stop and take note, love and death. This book covers both. We all have a coming of age story but the story of Edgar is so much more. It is a book about the mysteries we all experience in one aspect or another, it is a book about everything that is impossible to put into words. 

              While I have referenced the time that my Dad died in a previous post, I didn't really talk about it, mostly because there isn't a whole lot to say, but somehow David Wroblewski says it all for me in Edgar's story. He puts into words feelings I never knew could be described and he not only describes them but draws them out in full color for the whole world to see. 

              We are always given choices and sometimes the best choice is to run and hide. Edgar and his dogs decide to run and we get to follow his journey. Edgar's dogs are another thing that makes this book so wonderful. Each dog has it's own flaws, it's own character but it's Edgar's childhood friend (also a dog) named Almondine that really stands out. She is the epitome of everything we love about dogs and our relationship with them. This is the first time I've read a book and been able to say, "I know you don't understand about why people are so attached to their dogs, but read this and you will." Half of this book is written from the perspective of Almondine, the other half from Edgar. It is as much her story as his. 

             There is something here for all of us, it's a classic story of Americana, a coming of age story, a dog story, a love story and an adventure novel all in one. This book has etched its way into my soul and I don't know if I'll ever be able to let it go. 

           The quote that I am about to share with you is one of my favorites and was one of those moments where the author was able to describe the impossible.

      "He woke one morning tantalized by an idea: if he could catch the orchard trees motionless for one second-for half of one second-if they stood wholly at rest for the briefest moment- then none of it would have happened. The kitchen door would bang open and in his father would walk, red-faced and slapping his hands and exclaiming about some newly whelped pup. Childish, Edgar knew, but he didn't care. The trick was to not focus on any single part of the tree, but to look through them all toward a point in the air. But how insidious a bargain he's made. Even in the quietest moment some small thing quivered and the tableau was destroyed. How many afternoons slipped away like that? How many midnights standing in the spare room, watching the trees shiver in the moonlight? Still he watched, transfixed. Then, blushing because it was futile and silly, he forced himself to walk away."-pg 162 of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.