Book Review: LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Whatever way one took in this world, one must try to remember that all were suffering... therefore one must do what one could to lighten the load of those with whom one came into contact... his current state of sorrow was not uniquely his... its like had been felt, would yet be felt, by scores of others... and must not be prolonged or exaggerated, because, in this state, he could be of no help to anyone and, given that his position in the world situated him to be either of great help or great harm, it would not do to stay low, if he could help it."

First things first. The bardo is the Tibetan Buddhist interlude, the middle place, between death and re-birth/ judgment... "from a place where time slows and then stops and we may live forever in a single instant."

The Lincoln in question is Willie Lincoln, Abraham's third of four sons, who died aged 11, at the start of the Civil War. Willie was the favorite of all, the one closest to his father in nobility and intelligence, and warmth in love for his fellow man.

Holy. Cow. Well no wonder this book won the Man Booker Prize!

"Literary fiction" as a genre is hit-or-miss. Sometimes the story gets lost in the beauty of the prose, or the length of the novel works against it.

LINCOLN IN THE BARDO hit the masterpiece bull's eye, through and through. I thought each word was remarkably planned and placed, phrases balanced, a multitude of voices present, different, yet clear in meaning.

How to make sense of the unspeakable, unthinkable grief of a parent outliving their child?

Saunders tells us of a poor boy's spirit trapped in a scary place, the in-between where other souls linger, either out of ignorance or choice. The damned intermingle with the lost, all holding on to something.

Saunders' Christianized bardo reminded me a bit of Dante's contrapasso in The Divine Comedy, except that this bardo's souls manifest as reflections of the objects they loved most on earth.

This is unforgettable, a book unlike any other. It's the perfect blend of tale and technique, a singular story, told singularly by a singular master. It touches on the deepest emotions of despair and hope, redemption and salvation. Not a light read, but a life-enhancing one, to be revisited again and again.

The descriptions of every day miracles, as written by Saunders, are reason enough to read the book!

Saunders points out that the Civil War was more than about preserving the Union. Ultimately it was asking of the nation: "How should men live? How could men live?"

A novel for the times. When there is so much sadness all around, when countrymen are divided and fates of nations being decided. Saunders acknowledges all of this, but points the way forward:

"Ruinmore, ruinmore, must endeavor not to ruinmore. Our grief must be defeated; it must not become our master, and make us ineffective, and put us even deeper into the ditch."

"All we can do is what we should."

And yes, you SHOULD read this book!


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