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A review by theeditorreads
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
5.0
Lincoln in the Bardo is a one-of-a-kind book, neither has this narration technique been used before, nor do I think it will be used again. Except by the author, perhaps.
It is a story of young Willie Lincoln's journey from life to the afterlife and beyond, seen through to the end from the point of view of Hans Vollman and Roger Bevins.
Either you will love it or you won't understand this "story about the afterlife."
Trigger Warning: Black Oppression, Torture, Sexual Assault
Synopsis:
Vollman narrates in the first person the sad story of his death just when he was about to start with the second innings of his life. Listening in is his ghostly friend Bevins III, along with providing his inputs. The story thus proceeds in a dialogue form, though it's presented in a slightly different manner, where the character names appear below their "dialogues." They're chattering on while just waiting for a young fellow who's to soon join their ranks at the Bardo.
The fate of Willie hangs in balance as the Bardo is not the correct place to be, especially for a dead child as young as him. Then there's the Reverend, Everly Thomas, who's searching for the reason for his damnation. The rest of the story proceeds as to how the three encourage Lincoln Senior to let his son pass onto the afterlife, and also to encourage little Lincoln to 'join' with his father to help him achieve just that since the former's grief is what is keeping his son captive in the Bardo.
Review:
This book is written in what is usually referred to as experimental writing, i.e., a story that doesn't have any known narrative style. It's unique, something totally different. Each dialogic chapter is interspersed with other chapters where excerpts have been taken, from both previously published fiction and non-fiction about the Lincolns, and strategically placed. I really liked the way the author used metaphors instead of literally stating things. The narrative flowed seamlessly and it was a really enjoyable experience to read this book.
Divided into two parts, Lincoln in the Bardo entwined the aspects of magical realism and history beautifully. This is Saunders' debut novel where he reconstructs history through previously published works.
After reading the first chapter though, I must admit that I was a little lost. Not able to quite grasp it even after the second chapter, some six pages long, I remembered many bloggers who have read this book before me saying that they too had faced difficulty in getting into the story.
So, I decided to rather read the Wikipedia entry of the book first (doing so for the first time) and I would recommend you to do the same if you really want to enjoy the story. Even though I agree that this is no way to go about reading a novel, but seeing that it was based on a history which I had not much knowledge about, it felt right to proceed in this way only. Hence, sharing some links first:
1. Lincoln in the Bardo – Wikipedia
2. Hari Kunzru's review in The Guardian – an extraordinary story of the afterlife
3. Thomas Mallon's article in The New Yorker – a stunning depiction of the sixteenth President’s psyche
4. Michiko Kakutani's review in The New York Times – a President Haunted by Grief
Something which made it more lucid for me was to read the character names first before their "dialogues." And I did the same with the cited texts. Or even better, don't read the source names at all. In this way, while the characters continue in the first-person narration, the excerpts are either in the first-person or the third-person.
The events in this book take place in the Bardo, a Tibetan term for a place where a soul resides between death and being reincarnated. Here, it might as well refer to purgatory.
The thing about history is that you can manipulate it within the confines of the period with most people not knowing any better. And that is what the author proves here, based on the vastly different accounts of whether it was a no moon night or which phase of the moon it was that people who were there at the Lincoln's that night saw, among other things.
The action really starts when Willie is given a voice, coming into his ghost consciousness, it is his childlike thoughts that captivated me. Because for him, Vollman and Bevins are not them but the many-eyed man and Mr Sheep-Dumpling, respectively.
This was quite the odd read, but in a good way, of course. With coffins mentioned as "sick-boxes," using healthy and sick instead of alive and dead, and with many swear words blanked out, it often felt as if the book was written for the protagonist (a young child) rather than a reader.
While the futility of war is touched upon, the book also drives home the fact about how in death, everyone is equal. This is particularly highlighted through the ghosts who are both in terms of the years and the times of different ages. Whether it be through their spoken language or their professions. Lincoln in the Bardo can be very triggering though, with its depiction of Black oppression, torture during servitude, sexual assault, etc.
Reading this book was an experience. It was fun to think about ghosts being able to hear your thoughts by just moulding their spirits to our beings, i.e., by being one with us. What an icky feeling! It's a fairly quick read once you get the hang of the story.
As they say, the ending of a book can make everything even better and in this one, something magical happens. That unity matters, unity makes everything much better, even in a ghostly place like the Bardo. But, it did leave me with certain questions, of the philosophical kind. Some ghosts remained in the Bardo since they wanted to, and did not succumb to the "matterlightblooming" phenomenon. But then, where did the others go? The others like the President's son. Heaven seems to be the only answer here or some higher place.
P.S. I borrowed a copy of Lincoln in the Bardo from the British Council Library.
Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musingst
It is a story of young Willie Lincoln's journey from life to the afterlife and beyond, seen through to the end from the point of view of Hans Vollman and Roger Bevins.
Either you will love it or you won't understand this "story about the afterlife."
Trigger Warning: Black Oppression, Torture, Sexual Assault
Synopsis:
Vollman narrates in the first person the sad story of his death just when he was about to start with the second innings of his life. Listening in is his ghostly friend Bevins III, along with providing his inputs. The story thus proceeds in a dialogue form, though it's presented in a slightly different manner, where the character names appear below their "dialogues." They're chattering on while just waiting for a young fellow who's to soon join their ranks at the Bardo.
The fate of Willie hangs in balance as the Bardo is not the correct place to be, especially for a dead child as young as him. Then there's the Reverend, Everly Thomas, who's searching for the reason for his damnation. The rest of the story proceeds as to how the three encourage Lincoln Senior to let his son pass onto the afterlife, and also to encourage little Lincoln to 'join' with his father to help him achieve just that since the former's grief is what is keeping his son captive in the Bardo.
Review:
This book is written in what is usually referred to as experimental writing, i.e., a story that doesn't have any known narrative style. It's unique, something totally different. Each dialogic chapter is interspersed with other chapters where excerpts have been taken, from both previously published fiction and non-fiction about the Lincolns, and strategically placed. I really liked the way the author used metaphors instead of literally stating things. The narrative flowed seamlessly and it was a really enjoyable experience to read this book.
Divided into two parts, Lincoln in the Bardo entwined the aspects of magical realism and history beautifully. This is Saunders' debut novel where he reconstructs history through previously published works.
After reading the first chapter though, I must admit that I was a little lost. Not able to quite grasp it even after the second chapter, some six pages long, I remembered many bloggers who have read this book before me saying that they too had faced difficulty in getting into the story.
So, I decided to rather read the Wikipedia entry of the book first (doing so for the first time) and I would recommend you to do the same if you really want to enjoy the story. Even though I agree that this is no way to go about reading a novel, but seeing that it was based on a history which I had not much knowledge about, it felt right to proceed in this way only. Hence, sharing some links first:
1. Lincoln in the Bardo – Wikipedia
2. Hari Kunzru's review in The Guardian – an extraordinary story of the afterlife
3. Thomas Mallon's article in The New Yorker – a stunning depiction of the sixteenth President’s psyche
4. Michiko Kakutani's review in The New York Times – a President Haunted by Grief
Something which made it more lucid for me was to read the character names first before their "dialogues." And I did the same with the cited texts. Or even better, don't read the source names at all. In this way, while the characters continue in the first-person narration, the excerpts are either in the first-person or the third-person.
The events in this book take place in the Bardo, a Tibetan term for a place where a soul resides between death and being reincarnated. Here, it might as well refer to purgatory.
The thing about history is that you can manipulate it within the confines of the period with most people not knowing any better. And that is what the author proves here, based on the vastly different accounts of whether it was a no moon night or which phase of the moon it was that people who were there at the Lincoln's that night saw, among other things.
The action really starts when Willie is given a voice, coming into his ghost consciousness, it is his childlike thoughts that captivated me. Because for him, Vollman and Bevins are not them but the many-eyed man and Mr Sheep-Dumpling, respectively.
This was quite the odd read, but in a good way, of course. With coffins mentioned as "sick-boxes," using healthy and sick instead of alive and dead, and with many swear words blanked out, it often felt as if the book was written for the protagonist (a young child) rather than a reader.
While the futility of war is touched upon, the book also drives home the fact about how in death, everyone is equal. This is particularly highlighted through the ghosts who are both in terms of the years and the times of different ages. Whether it be through their spoken language or their professions. Lincoln in the Bardo can be very triggering though, with its depiction of Black oppression, torture during servitude, sexual assault, etc.
The yellow trimmings, the gold tassels and fringes did not relieve the gloominess of the regal décor, but instead reminded visitors that darkness and death came even to princes.
Reading this book was an experience. It was fun to think about ghosts being able to hear your thoughts by just moulding their spirits to our beings, i.e., by being one with us. What an icky feeling! It's a fairly quick read once you get the hang of the story.
As they say, the ending of a book can make everything even better and in this one, something magical happens. That unity matters, unity makes everything much better, even in a ghostly place like the Bardo. But, it did leave me with certain questions, of the philosophical kind. Some ghosts remained in the Bardo since they wanted to, and did not succumb to the "matterlightblooming" phenomenon. But then, where did the others go? The others like the President's son. Heaven seems to be the only answer here or some higher place.
P.S. I borrowed a copy of Lincoln in the Bardo from the British Council Library.
Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musingst