Familiaris
David Wroblewski returns to the world of his bestseller The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, this time going back two generations to John Sawtelle, the man who started it all. In the early twentieth century, John and his wife Mary leave Chicago for the woods of northern Wisconsin to build a farm and a remarkable line of dogs. Across decades marked by world war, Prohibition, fire, and loss, the novel follows the family, their friends, and a touch of the mythic as it traces where the Sawtelle dogs and their devotion came from. It is a long, generous saga about marriage, work, animals, and the stories families pass down.
What you might want to know about Familiaris
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A sprawling prequel to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, following John Sawtelle, who leaves Chicago to start the dog-breeding line his grandson will inherit.
Yes. Familiaris is set two generations before The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and follows John Sawtelle, Edgar's grandfather, who started the family dog-breeding business.
No. Familiaris works as a standalone, though readers of the earlier book will recognize the family and the dogs.
Familiaris was written by David Wroblewski, published in 2024 by Blackstone Publishing.
Familiaris is 992 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Familiaris takes most readers 15 to 21 hours to finish.
Familiaris is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.