Lincoln In The Bardo

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 fatherson story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters living and dead historical and inventedNamed 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 elevenyearold 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 griefstricken 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 statecalled in the Tibetan tradition the bardoa monumental struggle erupts over young Willie s soulLincoln 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 humanismColson Whitehead The New York Times Book Review A masterpieceZadie Smith