Month: February 2018

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders – Book

 

In a book peopled by many ghosts and few living people George Saunders writes a thoughtful book that reminds me of one of those black and white photographs with only one spot of color. Perhaps a splash of bright red or saffron yellow.

Abe Lincoln (and Mary Todd Lincoln) lost their son Willie Lincoln in 1862, probably from typhoid fever. Willie was eleven. The Lincoln’s had planned a grand party to show off the new White House décor. No expense was spared and hundreds of important people had been invited. In such a situation, do you go ahead and have the party with your little son so sick upstairs? If you are the President you must and you do, even though you know some people will think you made the wrong choice. Given that the Civil War had already begun, people’s reactions to the party were bound to be emotional even if guests did not know about the illness of Lincoln’s son.

Thus begins Lincoln in the Bardo, the first full length novel by George Saunders. On the night of the party we are introduced to one of the unusual literary devices used in this amazing book, a book that breaks new ground for fiction. The author begins quoting from some of the many Lincoln books. Each quote describes the sky on the night of the party. The descriptions are not at all consistent. Some describe a clear night with a brilliant moon. Others say the night sky was cloudy and there was no moon. Some actually recall that it was a stormy night.

The narrator uses actual quotes and avoids footnotes by telling the source, title and author as part of the story. If an author is quoted again, we get a name and an “op cit”. There are a lot of “op cit-s” in this novel, adding a sense of authenticity. You might worry that this would be deadly as a device in a novel, but somehow it isn’t, and that is part of the genius of this unusual book.

Willie Lincoln, history tells us, does not recover. He dies so young. His father is distraught.

But what is “the Bardo”? The internet tells me that in some forms of Buddhism this describes an existence between life and death. Saunders puts quite a Christian spin on this, almost like purgatory. Once Willie is laid to rest in a crypt at the cemetery his little body/soul comes forth to join the many other souls who are clinging to what they know (as much as the sort of half-life in that place bears any similarity to real life) because their human failings make them afraid to “go on”.

The Bardo is full of souls, of all classes, and all genders, all ages, and many professions. Many alliances are formed in the Bardo. Three souls in particular are our guides to the Bardo in this particular cemetery. But there are no children here. Children usually “go on” right away. However, Lincoln and Willie are so fond of each other that Willie cannot bring himself to go, and Lincoln cannot bring himself to let go.

Do souls in limbo have feelings? Is there still some sense of good and bad in the Bardo? The shades are genuinely worried about the fact that Willie is staying for his father’s sake. Bad things happen to children who stay in the Bardo. What duty do the shades take on and how does that work out? The reader gets to think long and hard about the nature of death and the after effects of decisions we make in our lives, although the denizens of the Bardo never use any words that might make death seem real. We also get to think about what might have happened if Lincoln had given in to his grief and had been unable to govern well in the critical situation of that moment in time.

I listened to the book on Audible, read by an enormous cast of some pretty well known people. This made the Bardo “come alive”. (Sorry for the double meaning.) I have to caution that not everyone in the Bardo is “quite the thing” so some of the language and the deeds get too inappropriate for children, the folks at the gym, or the neighbors to hear, especially out of context. Headphones might be a good option.

This is a unique book offering several more breaks from “life” in the Bardo to quote from the abundant Lincoln literature with plenty of “op cit-s”. If you sometimes give up on fiction because it seems there may be no new stories to tell or no new ways to tell stories, George Saunders’ book Lincoln in the Bardo will make you question that notion. Saunders book is poignant and profound; thoughtful and thought-provoking.

This site gives a list of characters and also a list of the cast on the Audible version of this book.

http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/lincolninthebardo

February 2018 Book List

Here’s my February 2018 Book List. You can get a quick summary of any of the books on the list by looking the book up on Amazon, or at Barnes and Noble, or at your library, except for books to be published in the future. Both Publishers Weekly and New York Times Book Review give critiques of the books they list and have “buy this book” buttons.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

 

Jan. 8

The Immortalists: A Novel by Chloe Benjamin

Green: A Novel by Sam Graham-Felsen

Gnomen: A Novel Nick Harkaway

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind by Michael Massing (NF)

Red Sky at Noon: A Novel by Simon Sebag Montefiore

A State of Freedom: A Novel by Neel Mukherjee

Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke (YA)

When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting that Changed History by Matthew Restall (NF)

Walking the Bones: A Ryan DeMarco Mystery by Randall Silvis

The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith

1917: War, Peace, and Revolution by David Stevenson

 

Jan. 22

 

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi (Syria, YA)

Peach: A Novel by Emma Glass

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World by Charles C. Mann (NF)

The Other Side of Everything by Lauren Doyle Owens

Anatomy of a Scandal: A Novel by Sarah Vaughan

 

Jan. 29

 

Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom by Keisha N Blain (NF)

This is What Happened (Novel) by Mick Herron

Tempest: Old West Book 3 by Beverly Jenkins (Romance)

This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jenkins (NF)

The Invention of Ana: A Novel by Mikkel Rosengaard

The Book of the Dead by Muriel Rukeyser (Poems)

The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C Stewart (Bio)

A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History by Jeanne Theoharis (NF)

 

Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2018 (Pub. Between Feb. and April)

 

Fiction

 

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

Circe by Madeline Miller

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

 

Mystery, Thriller, Crime

 

Green Sun by Kent Anderson

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

 

Science Fiction

 

Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller (YA)

The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg

Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente

Witchmark by CL Polk

 

Memoirs

 

The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison

Brave by Rose McGowan

Eat the Apple by Matt Young

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey

 

Literary Essays (Criticism)/ Biography

 

Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee

Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean

 

History

 

Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found by Gilbert King

God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence Wright

Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom by Keisha N. Blain

The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss

 

Political/Current Events

 

China’s Great Wall of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans, and the End of the Chinese Miracle by Dinny McMahon

Fascism: A Warning by Madeline Albright

Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations by Amy Chua

 

New York Times Book Review

 

Jan. 7th

 

Crime

 

Robicheaux by James Lee Burke

Beau Death by Peter Lovesey

The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page

Dead Man’s Blues by Ray Celestin

 

Fiction

 

Three Floors Up by Eshkol Neva (Israeli)

Solar Bones by Mike McCormack

The King is Always Above the People by Daniel Marcón

The Floating World by C. Morgan Babst

 

Continental Fiction

 

How to Behave in a Crowd by Camille Bordas

Yiza by Michael Köhlmeier, Trans by Ruth Martin

Lea by Pascal Mercier, Trans by Shaun Whiteside

Uncertain Glory by Joan Sales, Trans by Peter Bush

 

Nonfiction

 

The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization by Martin Puchner

The Social Life of Books: Reading Together in the Eighteenth Century Home by Abigail Williams

Texas Blood by Roger D. Hodges

Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler

Seduced by Mrs. Robinson by Beverly Gray

Playing with Fire by Lawrence O’Donnell

Enemies and Neighbors by Ian Black

Anesthesia: The Gift of Oblivion and the Mystery of Consciousness by Kate Cole Adams

Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia by Henry Jay Przybylo

The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry that Built America’s First Subway by Doug Most

Move: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

The Side of Brightness by Colum McCann

 

Jan. 14th

 

Fiction

 

The Ruined House by Ruby Namdar

The World Goes On by Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Trans by John Batki, Ottilie Nulzet, and George Szirtes

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

 

Nonfiction

 

Craeft by Alexander Langlands

The Road Not Taken by Max Boot

The Bughouse by Daniel Swift

Supernormal by Meg Jay

Late Essays by J M Coetzee

The Thin Light of Freedom by Edward L. Ayers

Vivian Maier: A Photographer’s Life and Afterlife by Pamela Bannos

Renoir: An Intimate Biography by Barbara Ehrlich White

A Generous Vision: The Creative Life of Elaine de Kooning by Cathy Curtis

 

Jan. 21st

 

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

Green by Sam Graham-Felsen

King Zeno by Nathaniel Rich

Winter by Ali Smith

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien

State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee

 

Crime

 

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

The Bomb Maker by Thomas Perry

Lullaby Road by James Anderson

A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis

 

Books in Translation

 

The Temptation to Be Happy by Lorenzo Marone, Trans by Shaun Whiteside

The Time of Mute Swans by Ece Temelkuran, Trans by Kenneth Dakan

Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki, Trans by Polly Barton

Happy Dreams by Jia Pingwa, Trans by Nicky Harman

 

Nonfiction

 

Winter by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Trans by Ingvild Burkey

The Last Girl by Nadia Murad

The Years by Annie Ernaux, Trans by Alison L Strayer

Off the Charts: The Hidden Lives and Lessons of American Child Prodigies by Ann Hulbert

 

Jan 28th

 

Fiction

 

The Nothing by Hanif Kureishi

Red Clocks by Naomi Alderonan (What if abortion were illegal again)

Here in Berlin by Cristina Garcia

The Mannequin Makers by Craig Cliff

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson

London and the South-East by David Szalay

The Years, Months, Days: Two Novellas by Yan Lianke

 

Nonfiction

 

Trumpocracy by David Frum

The Newcomers by Helen Thorpe

Show Medicine by Victoria Sweet

Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff

The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N Schwartz (Enrico Fermi)

The Meaning of Birds by Simon Barnes

Birdmania: A Remarkable Passion for Birds by Bernd Brunner

Birding without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World by Noah Strycker

 

Bipolar Disorder

 

Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness and a Mother’s Love by Zack McDermott

The Glass Eye: A Memoir by Jeannie Venasco

Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing My Mind by Jaime Lowe

 

Amazon

 

Literature and Fiction

 

The Friend: A Novel by Sigrid Nunez

A Long Way From Home: A Novel by Peter Carey

Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth

Asymmetry: A Novel by Lisa Halliday

In Every Moment We Are Still Alive by Tom Malmquist, Henning Koch

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Call Me Zebra by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

Chicago: A Novel by David Mamet

An American Marriage: A Novel by Tayari Jones

The Great Alone: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

Still Me: A Novel by Jojo Moyes

White Houses: A Novel by Amy Bloom

 

Mystery and Thrillers

 

Force of Nature: A Novel by Jane Harper

The Deceivers (A John Wells Novel) by Alex Berenson

A Dangerous Crossing: A Novel by Ausma Zehanet Khan

The Plea: A Novel by Steve Cavanagh

Girl Unknown: A Novel by Karen Perry

The Kremlin’s Candidate: A Novel by Jason Matthews

The Woman in the Water: A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Mystery Series by Charles Finch

Kill the Angel: A Novel (Caselli and Torre Series) by Sandrone Dazieri

The Gate Keeper: An Inspector Rutledge Mystery) by Charles Todd

Look For Me (D.D. Warren by Lisa Gardner

 

Biographies and Memoirs

 

The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú

The Kings of Big Spring: God, Oil, and One Family’s Search for the American Dream by Bryan Mealer

Limits of the Known by David Roberts

Everything is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love, and Loss by Stephanie Wittels Wacks, Aziz Ansari

Brave by Rose McGowan

I Wrote This Book Because I Love You: Essays by Tim Kreider

Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall by Joel Richard Paul

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

 

Nonfiction

 

The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny Beyond Earth by Michio Kaku

Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship by Kayleen Schaefer

What Are We Doing Here?: Essays by Marilynne Robinson

Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species by Sang-Hee, Shin Young Yoon

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boy’s Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko, Tucker Carrington, Intro by John Grisham

Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet by Yasha Levine

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Hassim Taleb

The Kings of Big Spring: God, Oil, and One Family’s Search for the American Dream by Bryan Mealer

Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

 

Science Fiction and Fantasy

 

The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch

The Philosopher’s Flight: A Novel by Tom Miller

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Your One and Only (There is Nothing More Human Than Love) by Adrianne Finlay

Into the Fire by Elizabeth Moon

Fire and Bone by Rachael A Marks (the occult)

Gunpowder Moon by David Pedreira