Lincoln in the Bardo: Modern Literary Genius

I heard about the brilliant writing and imaginative plot behind Lincoln in the Bardo for months before I finally decided to read it. George Saunders is known for his short stories, but his first novel received immediate attention in 2017 - ultimately winning the Man Booker Prize, my favorite book award. The day the award was announced, I rushed to the bookstore to get my hands on a copy, but alas, they were sold out. Everyone had the same idea that day. Luckily for me, they were able to snag a copy directly from the delivery truck, and my latest favorite story was mine for the reading.

This book is so unique and difficult to explain. Perhaps the title does it best - "bardo" is a word used in Buddhism to describe "a state of existence between death and rebirth, varying in length according to a person's conduct in life and manner of, or at age of, death." United States President Abraham Lincoln's son, Willie, is the Lincoln referred to in the title as being "in the Bardo." Willie dies at eleven-years-old and finds himself in the bardo, for him a Georgetown cemetery during the United States Civil War. He is stuck in between earth and the afterlife.

Willie discovers that he's not alone in the bardo - there are ghosts of all ages, male and female, black and white - each of which have not accepted that they are dead. Once they accept their fate they disappear and are placed in either heaven or hell. Saunders does a beautiful job of describing this process, from the fear and anticipation the characters feel about where they might be placed, to the actual descriptions of what these places might hold.

Saunders' writing is what truly set this novel apart for me. There are 166 different voices in telling Willie's story, making it an intimidating read at first. The voices range from ghosts that are with Willie in the cemetery, to historical accounts of what actually happened in the days around his death. However, Saunders made the book much easier to follow than I expected. The bulk of the story comes from three of the ghosts in the cemetery that have the most difficult time accepting their death. Their interactions with Willie and each other are beautiful and thought-provoking reflections on their personal lives before the bardo. For a novel focused so heavily on the acceptance of death, Saunders had me thinking more about how to live.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy excellent writing and well-curated stories that force you to think. I wouldn't suggest this as a quick "beach read," but more of a book to cuddle up and read across a couple sittings. Willie's story is one that will stay with me and remind me to live fully with compassion, generosity and love. While I enjoy reading most books, there are few that truly make an impact. This one has made that shortlist.