Kirkus-Style Review
Abraham Lincoln is embedded into our collective unconscious enough for us to assume that the Lincoln in the title of this book is referring to the 16th President. But it is Willie, the president’s son, who is lingering in this mysterious bardo, a term in Tibetan Buddhism that describes the place in between life and death.
Willie has died at the tender age of 11, and Lincoln is devastated. He is deeply mourning the loss of his son, and is burdened with the challenges and tragedies of the ongoing Civil War, the fate of which rests on his shoulders. Lincoln seeks solace in visiting Willie’s tomb, and Willie’s frightened, confused soul watches as his father tries to come to terms with his sorrow, as well as the great task of ending the war. The other ghostly inhabitants of the bardo look on with fascination, and sometimes horror, at the president actually holding his dead son’s body, as they reflect on their own tragic circumstances which brought them to this place.
In true George Saunders fashion, the characters that haunt these pages are strange and eccentric, many with absurd and disturbing “physical” attributes they acquired during, or as a result of, their death. Saunders also exercises his gift of creating bizarre, idiosyncratic dialog that keeps us just a little off balance (for instance, repeatedly referring to a coffin as a "sick box"). All of this, in conjunction with the spirits’ interactions with one another and their environment, create an unshakable and hallucinatory experience that is as funny as it is disturbing. Ghosts move in and out of each other’s “bodies”, and are able to absorb each others experiences, feelings, and memories. A dead slave seizes the opportunity to inhabit the body and mind of the man who will become The Great Emancipator, while other ghosts seem to be bound to re-enact indulgent, sad, unpleasant vignettes from their previous lives, at every sundown.
It is perhaps oversimplified to believe the moral of this story is that, no matter who we are, no matter how we die, we will all end up in the same place. Saunders isn’t satisfied with that either, so he takes it further, by introducing the terrifying truth that even our disembodied souls will suffer if we remain attached to everything that we were supposed to leave behind when we died. Thus, the undercurrent of Buddhist philosophy continues to flow through the narrative. The ghosts in this place are suffering, in denial of the obvious, holding onto the belief that this is all temporary. It is an opium den for the dead, where the inhabitants enable each other to indulge in their addictions to their suffering, causing a cycle from which they cannot break free.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a chance for redemption, for that ultimate release from suffering. Lincoln finds his resolve when he recognizes that, in spite of his suffering, he still has a mission, a great truth that needs to be revealed. And through witnessing this act, the inhabitants of the bardo are then given the chance to learn the truth that will release them from suffering.
I seen this book come up in different reviews I have looked at and thought about reading it. I wasn't really sure what it was about but I feel that you have capture some of the higher points in the books. Sounds like an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD. What a terrific review!! I literally added this book to my "to read" list on Goodreads as soon as I finished reading this. The college history major in me is too excited to read this. You explained just enough to capture the basic plot and mood of the book, and then you gave insight as to how you will come out thinking once having read it.
ReplyDeleteCarter, this BOOK. I keep wanting someone to be as obsessed with it as I am. Full disclosure, I listened to this book, and this may have influenced a little how much I love it. The audio was this full-scale production with David Sedaris, Nick Offerman, and the author, George Saunders. But then there were, like, 100 other voices. I'm being quite literal. Random people, like Jeff Tweedy from Wilco (?) and Don Cheedle, but they have like 3 lines. In any case, I have thought a lot about it, and its connection to Buddhism, which I may or may not have imagined. Maybe I read too deeply because the concept of the bardo is a Buddhist belief and I wanted it to keep going. But it comforted me that it may have been a possibility. The whole attachment to our suffering thing ran throughout. Also, I live in a Lincoln-obsessed town, and it is sort of infectious. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the review! I clearly have a lot of feelings about this book. Let me know if you read it!
DeleteI am LITERALLY listening to this audiobook right now! I'm only on disc one and at first I was a little confused with the massive cast and the sick box (how it took me so long to get that it was a coffin I'll never know). But I'm really enjoying it so far! Great annotation! Full points!
DeleteYes! I am so glad your are listening! The audio is a little disorienting at first, I'll admit. I couldn't figure out what the narrator was saying when she says "op cit", so I looked it up and it became clearer. But I became pretty obsessed with knowing who all these people were (it was like the movie equivalent of "where have I seen this person?"), and I found a character keys that tells you chapter by chapter who is speaking when. Here's the link: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/LINCOLN-IN-THE-BARDO_Character-Key.pdf
DeleteI felt like I was going to be distracted the whole time trying to figure out who some of these people were. Awesome production aside, the books is amazing. I have read all of George Saunders' short stories, and he's a fascinating writer. Also, I live in a town with a strong Lincoln fixation. I feel sometimes like he literally haunts the streets, and so the eeriness of the book satisfied my monthly Lincoln fix.
I haven't heard of this book (or author!) before, but the premise sounds intriguing, and your summary is well crafted. Really though, it's a fantastic audiobook too? I'm going to have to track it down now! Without that it may have simply gone on my 'one day' shelf, but if I can find the audio for it, it's happening ASAP. I've been itching for a well-crafted audiobook! I do enjoy how listening can bring a different dimension to the story that wouldn't otherwise be present if one was simply reading it.
ReplyDeleteHi Mandy,
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite reads from last year. Saunders has the perfect knack for creeping the reader out while simultaneously giving them warm fuzzies. I felt that your review was pretty spot on (although maybe a little long for a Kirkus review?) I don't know that Saunders intended for the "Lincoln" in the title to be exclusive to Willie or Abraham. I think that it's open for either. I suppose it makes more sense for it to be Willie since he is in the bardo for most of the book, and his father only makes a few appearances, but at the same time, I think it's his father's appearances in the bardo that really stand out in the book. It's great that your review is inspiring others to read the book! If I hadn't already, your review would have inspired me as well!
Is it terrible that I never even considered the Lincoln to be Abe? But as soon as I read your comment it seemed entirely possible, and a brilliant observation! He was in just as much if an in between state as everyone else in the book. Thanks for the feedback!
DeleteI love George Saunders and was really excited when this new book came out. I have to admit, though, that until I read your review, I wasn't in that much of a hurry to read it. Perhaps I didn't read enough synopses or reviews, but the ones I did read dulled my interest for some reason. Full disclosure, and this is just our secret, Lincoln bores me a little. Maybe because there is SO MUCH about him on our shelves, I don't know. In any case, now I really do want to read this, so thank you very much!
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