FAMILIARIS, the prequel to David Wroblewski’s 2008 bestseller, THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, is a weighty read at just under 1,000 pages. Like its predecessor, it was chosen for the prestigious Oprah’s Book Club. When Oprah delivered this exciting news to Wroblewski, she made this tongue-in-cheek comment: "I'm gonna choose it for the summer book club because it's gonna take people all summer to read it."

As some have noted, FAMILIARIS could have been made into two or even three individual novels. There are stories within stories, and at least one character, Walter, has over 100 pages devoted to his own story. We meet John and Mary Sawtelle first, before they are married. They are young and full of ideas. John is always obsessively thinking of ways things could be improved, and his work suffers from it to the point that he loses his job. Mary is pragmatic, honest and impossibly clever. Though we may not be able to relate to them, we do admire their pluck; their determination to make their lives better and to stand for something; and the loyalty they have to their friends.

"At the center of the book is a huge barn, a cozy warm home, and two characters whose hearts are filled with love, courage, a sense of humor, and a bright burning desire to bring something beautiful into the world. Dogs."

The book spans over 40 years, and while dogs are central to the story --- and, indeed, what motivate John and Mary for much of their adult lives --- we don't get close to any one particular canine. That makes sense because their mission in life is to breed special dogs, and over the course of these thousand pages, we are privileged to see how they go about it. For dog lovers, it's really quite fascinating. I especially liked that their goal wasn't about the appearance of the dogs. They weren't breed specific; instead, they crossbred when needed and when they thought another dog might add to their line. Their aim was to create dogs who understood and helped people, and made lives better. Some had an uncanny ability to communicate with humans. And while most of us who have dogs would say, "Well, my dog does that," the Sawtelle dogs, as described by Wroblewski, were indeed special.

Along with the myriad dogs who fill the pages, John and Mary have friends for whom they would do almost anything. They are not necessarily people who make it easy to keep up a close friendship. One is a horse thief (with the best intentions), and another is a man who lost a hand and a leg in the war and whose desire in life is to end it. But in spite of their flaws --- and every character in the book is flawed --- we grow to admire what these men do with the gifts they have been given. So Jack has a horse with whom we fall in love. We can't help it. Frank, the curmudgeon, learns the details of his gift and takes full advantage of it. Elbow, who in addition to Frank was John's friend from school, uses his gift in ways that enrich him and his friends, all of which becomes especially poignant at the end of the story.

There is also something unexpected in this novel, which is filled with descriptive narrative: mysticism. An ancient spirit appears, inhabiting a human body, and has an important role to play. The magic that it brings imbues the tale with humor, wonder, confusion and joy. And it is through this creature (if it might be termed that) that there is a direct connection made with THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. John witnesses and even participates in an event that takes place years hence with his grandson and three dogs.

Wroblewski reveals that his earliest memory is of his family dog, and he felt that they were a unit. That certainly helps explain why both his novels deal with the relationships we have with our four-legged companions. His certainty of the ability of dogs to help, heal and make humans better people shines through each and every page of his work. And toward that end, he even uses part of the novel to go back tens of thousands of years to share his vision of how the first wolf connected with a man, resulting in a symbiotic relationship that was the start of what became the wonderful creatures we now call "man's best friend."

In addition to the mystical, there is the heartrending, as we experience the loss of one of the protagonists. What is truly sorrowful is seeing the effect that loss has on another character. We are reminded of the sanctity of close friends and marriages, and how, when such bonds are severed, those involved may never really recover from that break.

So if epic stories about life, love, friendship and loss --- with many dogs and adventures, and even a bit of larceny --- appeal to you, this is a book that is well worth the time and effort spent reading it. After all, I'm sure John and Mary Sawtelle would agree that any true dog lover would never flinch at the occasional need to resort to theft in the saving of a life. And that a true and honest heart will make smaller transgressions forgivable, but transgressions against animals are much more impossible to overlook.

Wroblewski’s lovely and lush descriptions, which range from images of the frigid northern Wisconsin winters to the hot, sandy summers in idyllic Oceanside, California, will delight as they also bring forth vivid pictures of both locations. At the center of the book is a huge barn, a cozy warm home, and two characters whose hearts are filled with love, courage, a sense of humor, and a bright burning desire to bring something beautiful into the world. Dogs.