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In February 1862, amidst the Civil War's intensifying conflict, President Lincoln's eleven-year-old son, Willie, falls gravely ill in the White House. Despite hopes for recovery, Willie dies and is buried in Georgetown, prompting Lincoln's heart-wrenching lament: "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth." Grief-stricken, Lincoln visits his son's crypt multiple times, a poignant detail captured by the press. From this historical backdrop, George Saunders weaves a narrative of love and loss that transcends reality, venturing into a supernatural realm. Willie finds himself in a peculiar purgatory, where ghosts interact, share grievances, and engage in unusual penance. This transitional space, known as the bardo in Tibetan tradition, becomes the setting for a monumental struggle over Willie's soul. The work showcases Saunders' imaginative prowess and marks a significant evolution in his literary journey. Formally innovative and rich in emotional depth, it explores profound themes of love and mortality, posing the timeless question: How do we navigate life and love when faced with inevitable loss? Through a vibrant tapestry of voices, the narrative reveals fiction's power to address the core issues that resonate with humanity.
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Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders
- Language
- Released
- 2018
- product-detail.submit-box.info.binding
- (Paperback)
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- Title
- Lincoln in the Bardo
- Language
- English
- Authors
- George Saunders
- Publisher
- Random House LCC US
- Released
- 2018
- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 368
- ISBN10
- 0812985400
- ISBN13
- 9780812985405
- Series
- Tags
- Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Love, Friendship, USA, American Literature, Death, America, Loss, Diseases, Ghosts and Apparitions, Mourning, Race, Racism, Magical Realism, Father, Son, Afterlife, Cemeteries, Sadness, Experimental Literature, Booker Prize, Abraham Lincoln, 1809–1865, Typhus
- First published
- 2017
- Original title
- Lincoln in the Bardo
- Rating
- 3.75 out of 5
- Description
- In February 1862, amidst the Civil War's intensifying conflict, President Lincoln's eleven-year-old son, Willie, falls gravely ill in the White House. Despite hopes for recovery, Willie dies and is buried in Georgetown, prompting Lincoln's heart-wrenching lament: "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth." Grief-stricken, Lincoln visits his son's crypt multiple times, a poignant detail captured by the press. From this historical backdrop, George Saunders weaves a narrative of love and loss that transcends reality, venturing into a supernatural realm. Willie finds himself in a peculiar purgatory, where ghosts interact, share grievances, and engage in unusual penance. This transitional space, known as the bardo in Tibetan tradition, becomes the setting for a monumental struggle over Willie's soul. The work showcases Saunders' imaginative prowess and marks a significant evolution in his literary journey. Formally innovative and rich in emotional depth, it explores profound themes of love and mortality, posing the timeless question: How do we navigate life and love when faced with inevitable loss? Through a vibrant tapestry of voices, the narrative reveals fiction's power to address the core issues that resonate with humanity.