Book Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

 

This one was recommended to me some time ago and I was looking for something in my Overdrive so I grabbed it.

It’s a very . . . unusual book.

If you don’t know, the Bardo is a state of existence, not totally unlike purgatory, between death and rebirth. The length varies based on when a person died and how they lived.  

The majority of the book takes place in the Washington D.C. graveyard where President Lincoln’s young son, Willie, was initially laid to rest when he died at only ten years of age. The scenes where Willie is dying are particularly effective, interspersed with the forced gaiety of a party given at the White House during the Civil War.

Quotes from real sources of the time and made up quotes are interspersed with no note of which is which. It’s rather disconcerting, but it also serves the function of a sort of Greek chorus, often whispering the thoughts of people surrounding the action. I found myself questioning whether things were real, which can go along with a historical novel where events are imagined around historical events, but also goes along with that surreal feel of describing the actions of ghosts.

There are quotes (real and/or imagined) that blame the Lincoln’s for Willie’s death, saying they were too permissive and he died because he rode his pony in the rain, an idea that persists though we KNOW now that viruses cause colds, not being cold. In fact, he died of Typhoid Fever, a bacterial infection from contaminated food or drink.

Lincoln is drawn to the graveyard to visit his son. His grief is well depicted and put into relation with the terrible weight of having initiated a war, of calling on so many to give up their lives for a purpose. He asks himself over and over whether it is the right thing to do and whether he can see it through.

The characters that populate the Bardo run the gamut of humanity. We hear from different people who had very different experiences in life, some quite hedonistic, and some quite horrific. Slavery, and all the hardships and inhumanity that went with it, are part of the story because of this.

Some of the main characters have physical descriptions that are somewhat humorous and definitely outlandish, and, thankfully, difficult to retain in mind. It is part of the surreal quality of the novel. There is a phantasmagorical feel to all the events. If you can hold on to it loosely and move from piece to piece, you’ll be in good shape.

It is definitely not going to be concrete enough for some people to read. You may feel lost, as in the mist, or a dream. I think that feeling is somewhat intentional. If you are okay with it, as I am, you may enjoy this novel. I did. But it’s definitely not for everyone.