Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel

George Saunders' first novel tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln during February 1862, when his eleven-year-old son Willie falls gravely ill during the Civil War. After Willie's death, he is buried in a Georgetown cemetery. Historical accounts report that Lincoln returned to the crypt alone multiple times to hold his son's body. Saunders uses this historical incident as the foundation for a narrative that moves beyond realism into a supernatural realm. The story employs multiple voices—both living and dead, historical and invented—to explore how people live and love when faced with the knowledge that everything they cherish must end. The novel combines a father-son story with an ensemble of supporting characters across different planes of existence, creating a theatrical and kaleidoscopic narrative that addresses themes of civil war and familial grief.