This morning, Oprah announced her summer Book Club selection: Familiaris, by David Wroblewski. “I’m delighted for us to dive into an epic novel from the tremendously talented bestselling author,” Oprah said. “David takes us on an extraordinary journey that brilliantly interweaves history, philosophy, adventure, and mysticism to explore the meaning of love, friendship, and living your life’s true purpose.”
Familiaris is the long-awaited follow-up to Wroblewski’s bestselling debut, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which was an Oprah’s Book Club pick when it was published in 2008. “It’s an honor almost beyond fathoming,” Wroblewski says of having both his novels selected. “Oprah has become our advocate in chief for the reading of literature, and the roster of talent and titles she has curated for readers over the years is humbling. I am, to put it mildly, thrilled and grateful. I’m looking forward to discussing this story, whose characters have been part of my imaginative life for so long.”
Some of the characters in this new novel will be familiar to readers of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle; in Familiaris, Wroblewski turns back the clock, telling the story of Edgar’s grandfather, John, and the origin of the Sawtelle family farm—and their proprietary breed of beloved dogs.
At 975 pages, Familiaris narrowly misses taking the crown of Oprah’s longest Book Club pick (a title currently held by Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth). But as we discovered last year with The Covenant of Water (over 700 pages), summer is the perfect time to fully immerse yourself in the world of a long novel—just make sure you leave extra room in your carry-on!
Read along with Oprah’s Book Club by following the schedule below. You can also join in on weekly discussions on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! #ReadWithUs.
Week 1: Prologue & Part I: Chapters 1-7
Pages 1–105
Discussion begins on Saturday, June 22.
Week 2: Part I: Chapters 8-14
Pages 106–201
Discussion begins on Saturday, June 29.
Week 3: Part II
Pages 205–327
Discussion begins on Saturday, July 6.
Week 4: Part III: Chapters 1-9
Pages 331–449
Discussion begins on Saturday, July 13.
Week 5: Part III: Chapters 10-17
Pages 450–560
Discussion begins on Saturday, July 20.
Week 6: Part IV: Chapters 1-7
Pages 563–657
Discussion begins on Saturday, July 27.
Week 7: Part IV: Chapters 8-16
Pages 658–767
Discussion begins on Saturday, August 3.
Week 8: Part V
Pages 771–873
Discussion begins on Saturday, August 10.
Week 9: Part VI
Pages 877–975/end
Discussion begins on Saturday, August 17.
Charley Burlock is the Associate Books Editor at Oprah Daily where she writes, edits, and assigns stories on all things literary. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from NYU, where she also taught undergraduate creative writing. Her work has been featured in the Atlantic, the Los Angeles Review, Agni, the Apple News Today podcast, and elsewhere. She is currently working on a book about collective grief (but she promises she’s really fun at parties).
