Lincoln in the Bardo by: George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo

by: George Saunders

Review

Today I am here to review the long awaited first novel of critically acclaimed short story writer, George Saunders. This novel has received some very high praise in its short time being on bookshop shelves, most notably it won the Man Booker Prize for 2017. I had begun reading this very experimental novel as part of my Man Booker 2017 readings prior to the announcement so that the announcement would not have an influence on my opinion of the book as a whole in the event that it would win. Though I must say, I am not quite sure why it won the Man Booker... 

This book is a very simple story at its core. The basic plot follows young Willie Lincoln after his death by a fever while the President Lincoln and higher governmental officials party in the ballrooms, and how Lincoln and Willie must come to terms with his death. So at its core this is a story about guilt, grief and loss of a child. The plot follows Willie's ghost as he navigates the graveyard and interacts with other ghosts to find  his place in this new "life". Though the plot is interesting as a subplot for another novel, I feel that it is Saunder's story telling style that saved this book for me. Saunders compiled article, diary, news reports, and historical documents mixed with prose to create the narrative perspectives of each character. The set up is in a play formatting with the character speaking listed at the bottom of the section said by themselves, this made for a fast paced and intriguing reading experience overall. I would strongly recommend listening to the audiobook for this novel while following along to absorb every angle. 

The characters created in this novel are somewhat flat to me which drew back on my enjoyment of the novel. Each ghost which Willie encountered in the graveyard had a caricature styling that was jarring to read from varying perspectives, however I do think that through these characters that Saunders captured the depth and breadth of human characteristics. Willie Lincoln and President Lincoln both seemed to me as a vector for the theme of grief and suffering as well as a tool to illustrate childhood innocence in such a confusing time. Their personas were detailed and distinct, however they were not characters that I connected with on any deep level. 

The positive attributes about this novel surely are weighted more heavily than the almost gimick style of writing at times, and slightly flat main characters. If you are looking for a novel which is fast paced and can keep you engaged for hours on end, this is the book for you! This book also does an excellent job capturing the confusion and anxiety of the Civil War era United States of America with its multifaceted approach combining fiction and nonfiction accounts the reader is transported. The themes and messages within this are also very important to all of us,

1. Accepting loss
2. Moving on after death of a loved one
3. Thinking about the afterlife and what may lay beyond

All of these topics are covered with such a delicate hand to guide the reader to think about them just enough to set the tone or to encourage further exploration on your own. This is something that I rarely think about, the afterlife, and through this I got one possibility which opened my eyes to the possibility of there being more after death. 

Overall a hopefull, engaging, fun, and thought provoking read with a wide cast of characters to keep anyone entertained for hours this book is a great introduction into experimental literary fiction. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars 

Happy Reading!