By Isabel Shrader; Photo Credits to Lily Papendick
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is one of the most unique and exciting books that I have ever read. David Wroblewski released the novel in 2008, and it is an allegory for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” You get the core parts of “Hamlet” that make the tale so interesting, yet it is a completely new story.
Edgar Sawtelle is a boy who was born mute. His mother, Trudy, and father, Gar, raise him on their farm where they also raise highly trained dogs to sell. The story begins as “Hamlet” does, with the death of the father. Edgar Sawtelle finds his father in the barn on the ground, unable to breathe, then watches him pass away.
Throughout the novel, you may realize that the main characters are supposed to represent a character in “Hamlet”. Edgar Sawtelle is Hamlet. Trudy is a nickname for Getrude, and unsurprisingly, she represents Queen Gertrude. Gar is short for Edgar and he is King Hamlet. Gar’s brother is Claude, instead of Claudius. You get the gist.
After his father’s death, he and his mother realize that they cannot run the farm on their own without Gar. Claude ends up moving into their house, and they, similar to “Hamlet,” start having ‘relations’ with each other. Edgar obviously is very disturbed by this. When it can’t get weirder than that, he sees the ghost of his father. Gar explained how he was killed by his brother Claude then is directed by the ghost to the syringe that was used to kill him. This is where Egdar is tasked with taking revenge on his uncle for killing his dad then getting with his mom. Yikes. I also forgot to mention that Edgar and these dogs have a really strange connection. They kind of understand his sign language because his movements are like commands to the dogs? These dogs are also just insanely smart and are trained from birth. One of the dogs even represents Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, which is kind of odd. The dog’s name is Almondine, which is, again, kind of odd.
So then Edgar decides to recreate the murder scene with Almondine in front of Claude to maybe get a reaction out of him and it works. Edgar feels he has proof, except his mother is mad. Edgar believes that he saw Claude eavesdropping on his mom yelling at him, so he swings some farm tool called a hay hook at him. Unfortunately, it is not his incestuous Uncle/Dad, but Dr. Papineau. I think it is obvious that he freaked out, but Trudy told him to run away. So, Edgar leaves and brings three dogs with him. I think it is pretty important to mention that in “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”, he is only 13. In “Hamlet,” the man is around30.
What follows is basically just Edgar going on an entire adventure, which is very important but skipped over in “Hamlet.” It was surprising how much of the novel was spent on Edgar’s journey. He meets a guy named Henry and leaves two of his dogs with him before returning home. Edgar comes back and tries to tell Trudy that he has returned, yet Claude finds out and calls all his friends up to the house that want Edgar for murder. There is then a bottle that Claude plants inside the barn which Edgar is determined to find, except Claude is planning to storm the barn. A fire breaks out, and Edgar is all alone. The story ends like it does in “Hamlet;” Edgar dies in the fire, Claude dies, dogs die. It is a complete mess.
What I enjoyed about this book is that it gave you that emotional appeal that Shakespeare lacks. We all know “Hamlet,” yet there is seriously nothing likeable about the character. He is a privileged prince who is responsible for several others deaths, and he is acting as a character of his time would. “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” is in a different timeline entirely. Edgar does not have anything to hold onto, despite the dogs being seen as a metaphorical kingdom for Edgar to lead. Edgar is also a child which is what makes this novel so painful to me. You don’t cry in “Hamlet” because he deserves what he got; you cry in this book because Edgar tried so hard yet still failed.
I really enjoyed this novel, and I recommend it to everyone. There is a prequel that has been released called “Familiaris.” It follows the story of Edgar Sawtelle’s grandfather whom you hear a bit about throughout the story, including his father. It does not continue the story of the dogs leaving the farm. Instead, it discussed everything that set Edgar’s story in motion. I have not read it yet, but I have it on my list.