Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Dede

This book is about Edgar Sawtelle and his family. He is an only child who was born without the ability to speak. He can hear, and none of the doctors can figure out why he can't speak. His father (and his father before him) breed dogs, but not the usual kind. There is something special about the dogs. Edgar's grandfather started trying to breed a new kind of dog. Edgar's father, Gar and mother, Trudy live at the grandfather's farm and took over after he died. Gar's brother, Claude, has been in and out of prison and comes back to the farm. You know right away that he is not a nice man. When Edgar was born, they had a pup named Almondine that grew up and bonded with Edgar. The way this bond is described in the book is really beautiful. A couple times during the book the author writes from Almondine's point of view, which is at times concerning, funny or heartbreaking. Edgar is in charge of naming the new pups (his parent's teach him sign language) and helping to train them. When Claude comes back, Edgar's father dies and Edgar begins to believe Claude had something to do with it. When Claude starts a relationship with Edgar's mother, he becomes angry. He eventually leaves his home, with a couple of dogs and travels far away. The comraderie and interaction between Edgar and these dogs is really something. At times, I was so involved in this book I could picture it, at other times I felt like I was missing something and couldn't figure it out. At those times this book became frustrating. I did not particularly care for the ending, but the writing really does save this book.