The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. The author, David Wroblewski, has a rare gift for storytelling. It's captivating and profound, and he's such a fine writer, every sentence in this very long novel seemed really natural and right, to me.

The book is roughly based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, and you can track all the major characters and plot points between that play and this novel (which is fun for former students of English lit like me). It's definitely Shakespearean in its tragicness and epicness, but Edgard Sawtelle is completely different too. Someone who didn't know Hamlet at all would find this book no less remarkable for missing those connections.

I loved how the author tells the story from different characters' perspectives, including Edgar's companion dog, Almondine, who is as central a character in the book as any of his family. It's such a generous way of seeing things, and gives each character depth and complexity.

I was also completely smitten with all the stuff about dogs in Edgar Sawtelle -- and I am not a dog person at all. Edgar's family makes its way by raising an extraordinary (fictional) breed of dog. Much time is spent in this book on their care and training as well as dog biology and cognition. It's really fascinating, and the dogs themselves have amazing personalities. Almondine, the author tells us, is Edgar's "other" - she bears his soul. It literally says that. Their connection is a beautiful thing, and it's SO heartbreaking when that connection is inevitably -- it's based on a tragedy, after all -- broken.

Speaking of the end of this book, I put off finishing it because I wasn't ready to face it, nor was I ready to leave the wonderful world the author created. I wanted to focus and enjoy it and just sit with it in my head for a while. But the end is crushing. I read lots of reviews by people who were frustrated by that, but I think it would help to know going in. If you expect the Shakespearean tragedy rather than a justice-is-served happy ending, maybe you won't be disapointed. Anyway, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a GREAT read. I highly recommend it.

Unaccustomed Earth

Jhumpa Lahiri's latest collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth, is, in my opinion, a real stand-out in recent years of impressive short fiction. I especially enjoyed the final three stories which trace the overlapping lives of Hema and Kaushik after their families emigrate from Bengal. One aspect of Lahiri's style is that the narrator is almost always looking at events in retrospect, the characters recalling the past and describing memories. I found this to be a really interesting way to explore the questions and topics the stories present - how and why we attach to places and people, how our attachments shape us, how brutally chance can affect our lives.

And also, each of the stories are set (at least in part) in my neighborhood! It was really fun to read scenes that could have taken place on my block in Cambridge and to see the buildings and landmarks I walk by everyday in her character's lives. Unaccustomed Earth is a fantastic collection of stories - I highly recommend.

Torch

An impressively well-crafted novel by a fellow Portlander Cheryl Strayed. The topic (death and grief) is quite heavy, obviously, but the book never feels like "too much" -- it's never too sentimental or too melodramatic. The characters are complex and real, and while there is plenty of emotion, it always feels authentic. A very good read.

Summer Reading

Remember summer reading lists? Ms. Tritten gave me one after my junior year of high school: 100 Books to Read Before College. I took it very seriously. And although they are now my to-read lists, not someone else's, I have one every summer. So I thought I'd take a cue from Danielle and write a wrap-up of a few books I've read so far this season.

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust. This is a great read. It’s a quick and relatively light history of the Civil War and Reconstruction years that doesn’t bombard readers with dates, battles and generals (although there are a lot of numbers). Her interpretation of recent research and findings feels original and makes for a rich cultural history of this time in America. And her writing is neither overly-academic nor too simple and watered-down. If you’re like me and haven’t read much about the Civil War, it’s a great place to start.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is a lovely and entertaining novel. I had a lot of fun reading this because I didn’t know the details of the plot and had no idea how it would turn out (honestly!). So after the first few chapters I was hooked. Flaubert masterfully (I hear he agonized over every word) made an unlikeable woman and this wretched story easy to sympathize with and fun to read. And speaking of summer reading lists, it may not be on mine but Madame Bovary made someone's top ten.

Native Son by Richard Wright. This is one of those books that I’ve always had and always intended to read, but for one reason or another just never got to. I’d say if you’re in that same boat, read it now! Seriously. Stop reading my sloppy review and go get that dusty paperback off your shelf. And if you have read it, call me. We’ll talk. This book knocked my socks off.

The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Henry DeTamble is a librarian with "Chrono Displacement" disorder. At random times he suddenly disappears and finds himself in the past or future, usually at a time or place of importance in his life. From his point of view, he first met his wife Clare when he was 28 and she was 20. She had known him her whole life. The book alternates from Henry's point of view to Clare's. Publisher's Weekly described it as an "intriguing science fiction concept, a realistic character study, and a touching love story".

I thought it was fantastic! The characters had a lot of depth and the story was believable, even with the time travel. It was funny, touching, and even tragic. I recommend it!