Uh-oh: Oprah Picks the Story of Edgar Sawtelle as a Must Read

If The Story of Edgar Sawtelle wasn't a novel on your radar screen before now, maybe the fact that Oprah Winfrey selected it as her Book Club Pick might perk your interest. I'd already been intrigued by this book before it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club since it was both among the most loved and hated books of the year, judging from reader reactions and comments I've been tracking at various book sites.

You can read about that here: www.associatedcontent.com/article/990680/why_edgar_sawtelle_may_be_the_most.html in an article called Why Edgar Sawtelle May be the Most Hated and Loved Book of the Year (August 28).

Before Oprah's Book Club, Edgar Sawtelle had plenty of buzz at Amazon and other sites

Before Oprah's latest announcement, one point was clear: whether they loved it or not, people could not stop talking about this book written by author David Wroblewski. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was clearly an enigma and one I couldn't ignore, partly because I am an avid reader and also an aspiring novelist. Reader reactions were puzzling - and also gratifying. At the risk of being overly simple, I'd describe this book as an updated version of Hamlet, set in Wisconsin and focusing on a family's connection to dogs. That is a gross oversimplification and you can read an excerpt of the novel at Oprah's website. You can also read a message from the author, David Wroblewski.

Even before Oprah's announced that this would be her latest book pick, people either described the book as among the best they'd ever read, changing their lives - or they regretted every moment of the time they spent reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

Now it has been selected for Oprah's Book Club. You can see more about that here: www.oprah.com/index and I do hope you check it out, even if you've already read the book.

Oprah's puzzling focus and information about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

If you check out the info about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle at Oprah's website, you can click on a section connected to Oprah's Book Club, one which tells a bit more about the novel. This section is titled: About The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. If you click on the link to that section, you'll see that the summary focuses on the connection between people and dogs, as explored in the novel.

It is easy to imagine that Oprah, an avid and impassioned advocate for dogs and someone who has owned plenty of dogs herself, would be drawn to a book with dogs as an integral part of the story. Her enthusiasm for The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is clear. However, I do think that key plot elements of the book, including the connection to Shakespeare's Hamlet - and the very controversial, dark and often disturbing events in this book - are left out of the mix on her website...or at least I didn't find that info right up front.

Why The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a must read - even if it hadn't been picked by Oprah

Any book that engages readers so fully and gets them to continue talking about it - even if they hate the book - is one well worth reading. That is a personal take and I stand by it. In my previous article, I did compare the reaction to this book to another one written by Nancy Pelosi which got a much more lukewarm reception from readers. Indifference may be safe, indifference may keep a writer safely under the radar screen and free from controversial and criticism. But indifference is the kiss of death for most writers. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle didn't leave readers indifferent. There are worse things than being hated by readers, even for a debut novel.

But is Edgar Sawtelle a good pick for Oprah's audience?

I'm really not sure about this latest move. She has made some difficult book picks before and reader and audience reactions have varied. It is intriguing that she has tackled such a controversial novel, one that is certain to get more people to buy and attempt to read this book....but at well over 500 pages, will they stick with it?

Being picked by Oprah's Book Club has helped other authors go from obscure to famous. An early selection, back in 1996, was The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. That book went on to become a bestseller as well as a movie that also got plenty of attention. I loved that book. I'm not sure I would have known about it if not the publicity from Oprah's Book Club. When I walked into bookstores, The Deep End of the Ocean seemed to be everywhere. So attention from Oprah can get people to read books that might fade into obscurity. She has also revived interest in some classic books and gotten new readers to turn away from other activities and start reading again.

Oprah hasn't veered away from challenging books before, including dark and somber books such as Elie Wiesel's Night or The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. Perhaps the most notorious book pick was A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. After allegations about the book's accuracy as a memoir came to light, Oprah apologized to her audience and also had the author on the show for a fairly intense grilling. Frey looked under siege, probably because it was hard to try and justify lying about key elements of a book which was supposed to be a nonfiction memoir.

Ironically, sales of the book rose after that show. As an occasional bookseller, I had copies listed for sale. Before I could get them unlisted, they quickly sold, mirroring possible sales elsewhere. When I spoke to fellow booksellers, they noted the fact that even bad publicity was helping to sell Frey's book.

If you'd like to see past selections in Oprah's book club, check this link: www.oprah.com/article/oprahsbookclub/pastselections/20080701_orig_list
and then consider buying a copy of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Odds are, you won't find yourself feeling indifferent about it. Is it a classic in the making? I hope you let me know what you think about that.