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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Hamlet-paralleling violence; deaths accumulate toward the end; one character is murdered
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Barely any
No significant sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Some alcohol use; poison is central to the plot
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The inevitability of the tragedy; watching a boy lose everything he loves; the ending is extremely painful
What this book is about
Edgar Sawtelle, born mute, communicates through American Sign Language and an extraordinary bond with the Sawtelle dogs, a fictional breed his family has spent generations developing. When Edgar's uncle Claude returns after years away and Edgar's father dies suddenly, Edgar witnesses something that changes everything. Wroblewski's debut is a Hamlet retelling set in rural Wisconsin, told at the slow pace of a dog's day and building to a climax as inevitable and devastating as the original. One of the finest American debuts of the 2000s.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
A Hamlet-structure trajectory means the ending is devastating
Death of loved characters accumulates
A mute protagonist faces injustice without a voice
Reader Verification
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