Lincoln in the Bardo

In February 1862, the American Civil War is in its early stages as President Lincoln grieves the loss of his eleven year old son, Willie, who has died and been laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. The narrative unfolds in a transitional realm between life and death known as the bardo, populated by a chorus of ghosts. Through their perspectives, the novel captures the deep personal grief of the president against the backdrop of a fractured nation.

by George Saunders