Lincoln in the Bardo represents a bit of a departure for George Saunders, who has written books of short stories sharply observant of the absurdities of life. Stories such as “Civilwarland in Bad Decline”, “Puppy”, and “Al Roosten” made me laugh.

Lincoln in the Bardo, however, isa different type of story. Its novel form gives Saunders the opportunity to delve deeper into human feelings. He is no longer a wry observer, but rather an onlooker glimpsing into the tragedy of parents’ grief at the loss of their child. The child is the son of United States President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd. The boy has died from fever and his small coffin has been buried in a cemetery inhabited by ghosts in a sort of limbo, ghosts who tell jokes, criticize one another, express regrets about their lost lives, and there is some levity. But whenever Lincoln enters the cemetery to spend time alone mourning his dead son, the atmosphere grows somber indeed, all the more so since Lincoln has been sharply criticized for hosting a White House party with his son on his deathbed upstairs. He says nothing, but you can sense his grief.

Saunders intersperses conversations among the ghosts and news from the outside world to good effect, as it places the story in its historical context. You feel for everyone in this story, even for the most abrasive of the ghosts. But above all, you feel for Lincoln in his sorrow. Saunders eschews physical description of the cemetery, and because of this decision, one can sense the cold emptiness of the grave.

A beautifully written and moving story.