Lincoln in the Bardo [winner of the Man Booker Prize 2017] (A book review)

Title: Lincoln in the Bardo
Author: George Saunders


                                             


Note: All efforts have been made to keep this review short and spoiler-free. However, there are some spoilers because analysis does require some factual substantiation.  I shall try and avoid adding too many facts. The point here is to provide an analysis. This is not a gateway for potential bluffing by lazy potatoes who would rather not read those 341 pages.

 Saunders' work reverberates with double entendres that tickle the grey cells long after the last page has been turned. The writing is eloquent and crisp. However, the structure is a bit different so be prepared for that. I, for one, find a different structure intriguing.

 The idea of death and grief fascinates some and repulses many. While at first blush, this book appears to be a bit of an elegy in prose, as one goes deeper into the book it becomes far more than that.

 The attention to detail of each character/manifestation is impressive to say the least, with its covert as well as overt connotations. For example, - aside from the protagonists - the depiction of the Four Bachelors rings with amused irony and veracity [Saunders, 2017: 118-120; 340-341]

 Themes such as the importance of empathy, need of all beings for warmth and the desire to recapture happier moments amidst the smog of hopelessness and cynicism are prominent.
Though most of the book focuses on post-life manifestations, the novelist deals with a very delicate issue that is quite germane to the living i.e., the crippling anxiety of being in a state of transition while apprehending the unknown which is juxtaposed with the yearning for familiarity and the unrequited desire for closure [Saunders, 2017: 296-298]. The ability of the novelist to depict this psychological obfuscation was fascinating. This is more so in light of the overall realisation that a state of limbo - or any stagnation for that matter -, per se, does not really exist because we are constantly changing. This consistent change is captured in the ever changing manifestations of the characters in Limbo. While these manifestations appear to believe that they are maintaining a status quo, the changes in their appearance betrays the inevitable march of time, and, in its wake, change.  As the cliche goes, 'the only thing constant is change'. Change, i.e., an 'unimaginable alteration of reality' is the engine that eventually allows for closure -both in life and death [Saunders, 2017:321; 296-298]

The author beautifully depicts, via ever-mutating physical manifestations of the dead,  how the refusal to help others does not only affect those in need of assistance, but it also warps those who refused to help [Saunders, 2017:111-114; 331-335].

In this ability to depict so many abstract notions in a substantive manner that is both imaginative and original, Saunders has created a delightful piece of fiction that is filled with melancholic depth. An excellent read for those who revel in double entendres, sub-text and tussles of the psyche.

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