Lincoln in the Bardo

George Saunders’s first novel reimagines a documented 1862 moment when President Abraham Lincoln visited the crypt of his eleven-year-old son, Willie, who had recently died. Drawing on the Tibetan Buddhist concept of the bardo—a transitional state between death and rebirth—Saunders constructs a meditation on grief, memory, and the afterlife. The narrative unfolds through a polyphonic chorus of historical figures, fictionalized spirits, and archival excerpts, creating an experimental tapestry that blends documentary record with imaginative fiction. At its core, the work explores how individuals navigate profound loss while remaining tethered to the living world. Saunders’s distinctive voice, previously celebrated in short fiction, expands here into a formally ambitious exploration of mourning and historical legacy. The novel’s innovative structure invites readers to consider how stories about the dead continue to shape those who remain, offering a contemplative portrait of presidential sorrow set against the backdrop of a divided nation.