Lincoln in the Bardo - I've never read anything like it before!

Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2017, Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders is a book that will certainly not be to everyone's taste. Indeed, I was not at all sure about it for quite some time, but I am pleased that I persisted and stuck with it. It is February 1862, and the American Civil War is raging. Willie, the eleven-year-old son of President Lincoln, dies unexpectedly and is buried in a Georgetown cemetery. Grief stricken, the President visits the crypt on several occasions to hold the body of his child. What Lincoln doesn't know, is that the spirit of his son is still there, as are a whole host of others who have been buried in the same cemetery. They are in a kind of purgatory, or transitional state (the bardo of Tibetan tradition), although the spirits (excepting one) are under the impression that they are sick, rather than dead. The spirits are varied in their temperament and habits - some are kindly and compassionate, others are depraved and violent. They have seen what happens to children who do not transition, and when Willie's spirit starts to linger, they come together to try to save his soul. This story is told in a most unusual way, with excerpts from contemporary accounts setting the scene, interspersed with the complete fiction of the activities amongst the spirits in the cemetery. However, the fictional elements are also structured as if they were extracts from personal diaries. One has to admire the research that the author must have done to create this book, which he uses as a springboard to tell this story. I really think Lincoln in the Bardo will stay with me for quite some time. Thought provoking. Emotional. Unnerving. Maybe even a glimpse into what might come - not something many people will want to dwell on. I suspect that there are hints as to how Lincoln's thinking about the war was influenced by the experience of losing his son, but that may be a fanciful thought? This is not an easy book, but finding your way to the last page will, I believe, be a rewarding experience.

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt 10: A book about death or grief

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 368 print pages.
Price I paid: £0, borrowed from library as an ebook.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.