President Lincolns son, Willie, passes away from an illness, but neither of them can move on. Willie is stuck in a strange sort of purgatory, unable to pass over completely as his father mourns his death by visiting his crypt. We see and hear most of this from the chorus of voices that are stuck in this in-between state, or bardo, with Willie. This story absolutely transfixed me. From the first page, I was drawn in and could not put it down until I had wept over the last page. Its so unique, both in the actual story and how it is told. I highly recommend this for lovers of historical literature. I dont reread many books, but this story is so rich and full, Im likely to read it again to see what I missed the first time!
A long-awaited first novel by the National Book Award-nominated, New York Times best-selling author of Tenth of December traces a night of solitary mourning and reflection as experienced by the 16th President after the death of his 11-year-old son at the dawn of the Civil War.