LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders

LINCOLN IN THE BARDO

by

George Saunders

            This book just blew me away. I don’t usually begin my reviews this way; but then, there is nothing usual about this book.

            Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders, the 2017 Man Booker Prize winner, is a work of historical fiction. Saunders centers his book around the death of President Lincoln’s young son, Willie. From that historical kernel, he weaves a magnificent work of fiction. The “setting” for Saunder’s novel is the bardo, a Buddhist term referring to the state between death and rebirth. As this kernel is woven into a novel, we meet all sorts of interesting characters, and their backstories slowly blossom. And, of course, there is President Lincoln, whose palpable grief over the loss of his young son pervades the book.

            The style of the book is unusual. Text is set apart, like quotes or a blocked factual statement, with a citation – as if the text were research for a scholarly work. However, it is not just the different physical style that sets this book apart; the entire fabric of the book is unusual, creative, and very, very clever.

            Lincoln In The Bardo, quite simply, is one of the best books that I have read in some time.