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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
576 pages; Ecco
The Premise: In this epic drama, Edgar Sawtelle is a mute dog breeder living on a Wisconsin farm. One night he finds his father dying in the barn; later, his father's ghost leads him to a clue about what happened. Edgar's quest to avenge the murder has increasingly deadly consequences.

 Why the Ending Is a Stunner: The unforgettable conclusion of what Oprah calls one of "the great American novels” has echoes of Hamlet’s burn-the-house-down conclusion, but still manages a wholly original take.
— Dawn Raffel