My readings for July, 2026, began with a large-cast audiobook of Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders, a novel which won the Booker Prize in 2017.
Being a big fan of Saunders, I had read the novel when it first came out, and I found it a difficult read. Its structure is complex — even purposefully chaotic — and it consists of dozens of narrative voices that often interrupt each other. It’s a book I respected (even admired) but did not really enjoy.
But then I heard that Nick Offerman and his wife Megan Mulally are friends of Saunders and that they put together an all-star cast to record an audio version of the novel, a cast that includes David Sedaris, Don Cheadle, and even members of Saunders’s family.
So I gave Lincoln In The Bardo another listen. And I was enchanted.
Now, I have a love/hate relationship with audiobooks. For most books, the recorded audio version bothers me, mainly because it conflicts with the voice that I imagine as I read the actual book. And I don’t want to belabor the point here, but I believe the act of reading is an active act of imagination that listening to an audio recording undercuts. There’s something to be said for imaginatively constructing a narration as you read. It’s like you’re acting a part to yourself as you read — something that mere listening doesn’t really evoke. And that evocation of your imagination enlarges it in ways that being a mere passive audience member does not.
But then there are books like Lincoln In The Bardo, whose subject and structure lend themselves well to the audiobook format. And Saunders has always been an author who is more interested in portrayal than explanation, no matter how outlandish a premise he’s working with. And one of the ways to contend with the structure of this book is to see it as a script.
Also, the premise of this book is as outlandish as it gets. Saunders takes a real historical event (the death of Lincoln’s young son while the President was in office) and spins a fantastical tale (involving spirits inhabiting a graveyard) that encompasses all the major themes: love, death, politics, gender, race, and the meaning of life itself.
And, being something written by George Saunders, Lincoln In The Bardo is also funny. Sure, much of its humor is arch and arcane. But I found myself chuckling constantly.
Lincoln in the Bardo is a book that rewards re-reading, especially if you pick up the audiobook.
Get Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders here: https://a.co/d/0bw3Ea5x
