Lincoln in the bardo : a novel

Title:

Author:

Saunders, George, 1958- author.

Summary:

On February 22, 1862, two days after his death, Willie Lincoln was laid to rest in a marble crypt in a Georgetown cemetery. That very night, shattered by grief, Abraham Lincoln arrives at the cemetery under cover of darkness and visits the crypt, alone, to spend time with his son's body. Willie finds himself in a strange purgatory-- the bardo-- where ghosts commisserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance ... and where a struggle erupts over his soul.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

341 pages ; 25 cm

Genre:

Biographical fiction.

Historical fiction.

Personal Subject:

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865-Fiction.

Lincoln, William Wallace, 1850-1862-Fiction.

Subject Term:

Purgatory -- Fiction.

Presidents -- Fiction.

Grief -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Random House,

Publication Date:

2017

ISBN:

9780812995343

9780812985405

Publication Information:

New York : Random House, [2017]

Call Number:

SAUNDERS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003215897	Adult Fiction	SAUNDERS George	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
33607003443622	Adult Fiction	SAUNDERS George	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE

The "devastatingly moving" ( People ) first novel from the author of Tenth of December : a moving and original father-son story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln, as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, living and dead, historical and invented

One of The Atlantic 's Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years * One of Paste 's Best Novels of the Decade

Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, USA Today, and Maureen Corrigan, NPR * One of Time 's Ten Best Novels of the Year * A New York Times Notable Book * One of O: The Oprah Magazine 's Best Books of the Year

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth," the president says at the time. "God has called him home." Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy's body.

From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state--called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo--a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.

Lincoln in the Bardo is an astonishing feat of imagination and a bold step forward from one of the most important and influential writers of his generation. Formally daring, generous in spirit, deeply concerned with matters of the heart, it is a testament to fiction's ability to speak honestly and powerfully to the things that really matter to us. Saunders has invented a thrilling new form that deploys a kaleidoscopic, theatrical panorama of voices to ask a timeless, profound question: How do we live and love when we know that everything we love must end?

"A luminous feat of generosity and humanism."--Colson Whitehead, The New York Times Book Review

"A masterpiece." -- Zadie Smith

Author Notes

George Saunders is the author of CivilWarLand in Bad Decline and Pastoralia.

(Publisher Provided)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

It takes a full six minutes at the end of this unforgettable audio production to read the cast list of 166 actors: comedian Nick Offerman, author David Sedaris, Hollywood A-listers Carrie Brownstein, Don Cheadle, Lena Dunham, Bill Hader, Miranda July, Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, and Jeffrey Tambor, and others. The main challenge of Saunders's Civil War-era novel is fragmentation. In addition to the plethora of characters to keep straight, the novel features several challenging elements of postmodern fiction: punctuationless sentences, a constantly shifting perspective, and a mélange of factual snippets and boldly fabricated sources. The effect, however, is a wonder brought to life in these performances. Sedaris steals the show as Mr. Bevins, a wry and lonely spirit who tarries in the titular bardo, mourning the lover who left him. Two other performances deserve special mention: Kirby Heyborne, a veteran audiobook narrator, more than holds his own in this star-studded cast, breaking listeners' hearts with his quiet and sensitive portrayal of Mr. Lincoln's recently deceased boy Willie. And one of the book's best performances belongs to Saunders himself, who plays the Reverend Thomas, a timid man of the cloth who is haunted by sin-but what sin, however, he doesn't know. If fiction lovers listen to just one audiobook in 2017-or ever-it should be this one. A Random House hardcover. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

This first novel from the acclaimed short story writer (Tenth of December) has been adapted into a cinematic (and potentially record-setting) audiobook that pushes the current boundaries of the format. The story takes place early in the Civil War over the course of one night in 1862. Though the Lincolns' son Willie has been laid to rest, his spirit lingers in the cemetery where his father pays a final visit. Saunders alternates between scene-setting historical and scholarly quotes (some fabricated) and the observations of the cemetery's longtime inhabitants, many of whom suffer Dantean torments. Into the endlessly repetitive existence of those caught between life and death come a catalyzing Willie and Lincoln himself, who departs with a better understanding of the intimate tragedies that soldiers' families suffer. Featuring 166 narrators, including stars such as Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Megan Mullally, and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as the author himself, the audio presentation brings a chorus of voices to raucous, guilty, fearful, and complicated life. -Verdict Recommended for all collections. ["A stunningly powerful work...this remarkable work of historical fiction gives an intimate view of 19th-century fears and mores through the voices of the bardo's denizens": LJ 10/1/16 starred review of the Random hc.]-Anna Mickelsen, Springfield City Lib., MA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpts

XXI. Mouth at the worm's ear, Father said: We have loved each other well, dear Willie, but now, for reasons we cannot understand, that bond has been broken. But our bond can never be broken. As long as I live, you will always be with me, child. Then let out a sob Dear Father crying That was hard to see And no matter how I patted & kissed & made to console, it did no You were a joy, he said. Please know that. Know that you were a joy. To us. Every minute, every season, you were a--you did a good job. A good job of being a pleasure to know. Saying all this to the worm! How I wished him to say it to me And to feel his eyes on me So I thought, all right, by Jim, I will get him to see me And in I went It was no bother at all Say, it felt all right Like I somewhat belonged in In there, held so tight, I was now partly also in Father And could know exactly what he was Could feel the way his long legs lay How it is to have a beard Taste coffee in the mouth and, though not thinking in words exactly, knew that the feel of him in my arms has done me good. It has. Is this wrong? Unholy? No, no, he is mine, he is ours, and therefore I must be, in that sense, a god in this; where he is concerned I may decide what is best. And I believe this has done me good. I remember him. Again. Who he was. I had forgotten some- what already. But here: his exact proportions, his suit smelling of him still, his forelock between my fingers, the heft of him familiar from when he would fall asleep in the parlor and I would carry him up to-- It has done me good. I believe it has. It is secret. A bit of secret weakness, that shores me up; in shoring me up, it makes it more likely that I shall do my duty in other matters; it hastens the end of this period of weakness; it harms no one; therefore, it is not wrong, and I shall take away from here this resolve: I may return as often as I like, telling no one, accepting whatever help it may bring me, until it helps me no more. Then Father touched his head to mine. Dear boy, he said, I will come again. That is a promise. willie lincoln Excerpted from Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.