The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This is one of the loveliest books I've read in a long time.  I got it from my inlaws several years ago at Christmas but just got around to reading it.  I'm glad to have waited: it was especially good to read now that I have a dog of my own. 

The story is about a family of dog breeders in Wisconsin.  The title character is born mute, but otherwise healthy, and his family includes him into the family business when he is young.  His early life is idyllic, until the untimely death of his father.  When his unstable uncle moves in to help with the business, Edgar's life becomes more difficult. 

Wroblewski created excellent characters and an expertly resolved story line.  The individual dogs even have their own characters, although he doesn't anthropomorphize them - their personalities are canine and neither he nor Edgar assign them human emotions.Where he gets lost a little in the middle of the book with too much detail, it is forgivable, as his character is lost too. 

As my mother said, "not that much happens for more than 300 pages."  I can't say I disagree, except the joy in reading this book is not about a thickly plotted narrative - its about the description of how dogs are raised, how children are raised, and how people and dogs can form exceptional bonds.  It was the dog book I was hoping to find.