The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel, by David Wroblewski

“Life was a swarm of accidents waiting in the treetops, descending upon any living thing that passed, ready to eat them alive.  You swam in a river of chance and coincidence.  You clung to the happiest accident–the rest you let float by.”

I’m embarrassed to say this book took me forever to read. I didn’t dislike it, and it was well-written. It made me sad, though. I was afraid to become too invested in the story and the characters.  Occasionally, something good would happen, and I could whizz through a few chapters.  For example, Edgar met a man named Harry.  This was by far my favorite part of the book.  Upon fearing an ending to this section, I put the book away for a few weeks before I could bring myself to keep reading.

Edgar Sawtelle is an endearing character.  He was mute from the moment he was born, for no discernible reason.  Still, he grows up happily in rural Wisconsin with his parents, his dog Almondine, and a thriving dog breeding business.  The Sawtelle Dogs are renowned for their unique abilities, with almost a mysterious quality to them throughout the novel. 

Edgar’s life takes a dramatic turn, however, when his uncle Claude returns home.  With a nod to Hamlet, Edgar’s story is somewhat creepy, adventurous, and sad.  Througout it all, the characters maintain a very human quality–Even the dogs!

This book isn’t for everyone.  I prefer a story with a bit of the supernatural, but despite that, it has a very realistic quality.  It merges topics and genres smoothly to a somewhat ambiguous result.  Although it has Oprah and Stephen King’s praise, I’m going to give it three and a half out of five stars.  Deeply appreciated, but not really the escape it’s sometimes called.  Hamlet is, after all, a tragedy. 

 

The Search, by Nora Roberts (narrated by Tanya Eby)

I don’t often listen to audiobooks, but whenever I take the long drive home or to visit friends (I find that most drives from central Iowa tend to be long), I enjoy an audiobook to pass the time.  Most recently, I completed this unabridged version of The Search, by Nora Roberts.

Fiona is dog trainer enjoying her quiet, organized life on the island of Orcas in the Pacific Northwest.  She lives alone with her pack of dogs, teaching obedience classes and responding to the occasional search and rescue calls.  Simon is a carpenter/artist who is new to the island and escaping a high-profile, volatile relationship.  He and his new puppy Jaws show up on Fiona’s doorstep and Fiona sets right to work training them both!

Of course, romance ensues, but Fiona’s life isn’t as quiet as it appears on the surface. Her past is catching up with her as someone wants her dead–again!  Fiona and Simon fight to embrace their unexpected love throughout not only the normal pitfalls of a relationship, but also through deadly circumstances.

Since I am biased as a dog lover, I think I was able to forgive a lot of things in this book.  First, it fits a tried-and-true formula that is definitely no stranger to Nora Roberts.  Romance blooming in the face of danger is a popular plotline.  I personally don’t often begrudge an author for following such a formula, as long as it stays interesting.  Fiona’s search and rescue responses are definitely helpful in keeping things fresh.  I also love her dog stories; the dogs become supporting characters.

The dialogue occasionally felt awkward to me, but I am willing to place some of that blame on the narrator, who often used a patronizing voice that didn’t feel real for the characters.  Fiona seems kind of timid about some things and very fierce about others. She outright confronts Simon about their love on a regular basis.  This couple talks out their issues like no other couple I’ve read about!  Simon can be a bit annoying.  Fiona loves his winey, grudging admissions of love, and at first I thought it was cute but it did get a little old.  For example, here is how a discussion between the two of them goes once they first meet:

“You’re not beautiful.”
“There you go again, Mr. Romance.”
“You’re not, but you grab hold. I haven’t figured out why.”
“Let me know when you do.

Still, I laughed out loud a lot in this book, and rooted for them to catch the bad guy.  Because I’m a dog lover, I give this romance suspense novel four out of five stars.