A review by escape_through_pages
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

📖 REVIEW 📖

'... 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬; 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬; 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜; 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜.... 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩...'

The premise of this book did not appeal to me at all, ghosts, the supernatural, set in the transitional state between life and afterlife, that’s not my bag 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

But wow. Wow. Lincoln in the Bardo isn’t as much a read as an experience. I have never read anything like this before. What George Saunders has conceived here is clever and beyond unique. I don’t think I can adequately describe it but I’ll try.

Set in America in 1862 during the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln is leading, hosting a dinner for VIPs, whilst his son Willie is elsewhere in this most famous house, more unwell than his parents can even imagine. Willie, aged 11, after a struggle over days, dies. Lincoln is distraught. 

Willie is laid to rest in a Washington cemetery. Here, Saunders imagination takes hold of historical fact that Lincoln returned to the crypt were Willie lay on two occasions after his funeral, unable to face saying goodbye. 

What if the dead can’t let go either? What if something holds them in this transitional space? Willie freshly dead and not yet passed over, hears his father saying at his first visit that he will return, and so too Willie vows that he will also stay, despite the pull from the beyond. 

Also, here present in this cemetery are others who tarry and observe both Lincoln’s and his boy’s grief. These people largely narrate our story, which is told through vignettes of switching perspectives. Alongside this, Saunders has placed paragraphs of real quotes and citations from the time, documenting the outside perspective of the Lincoln family’s reaction to Willie’s death as well as the views on Lincoln and the handling of the war. 

There ensues a wrangle over Willie’s soul before the inevitable conclusion.

Saunders manages to weave a tale of family love, loss and grief whilst breaking ground with incredibly imaginative form. 

It’s another that will not be for everyone, I’ve heard some find it too bizarre and the choir of voices confusing. I can understand that. I, however, was utterly compelled by the rendering of Lincoln’s grief and in complete awe of the style.

 '𝘼𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚.'

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