This is one of those books that sits with you and that
you find yourself mulling over and discussing with other people. Your first
instinct is to either love it or hate it, but as you keep talking about it, you
realize that this is a really good book. And it would have made one hell of a
Twilight Zone episode.
The story is set in Washington DC. President Lincoln had
a son, Willie, who died of Scarlet Fever when he was in office. It is during
the Civil War. There are a series of people who congregate in the cemetery and
are there to see Willy laid to rest.
What the reader is aware of is that these people are all
dead. They have all died in a variety of different time periods and their
language reflects the era in which they died. There are quite a number and they
are all involved in some seemingly supernatural fight for their lives.
The Bardo is a Buddhist term. It is the period after
death and before rebirth when the soul is disconnected from the physical body
and has a series of experiences. Willie and the rest of the individuals are in
the Bardo.
The other inhabitants operate as a kind of chorus who
keep the story moving and offer explanatory and expository information for the
reader. A further interesting aspect the author uses is that he has researched
contemporary commentary on how writers viewed many of the events depicted and
has used those writings to show that any one event can be viewed and
interpreted in a variety of ways.
And, since this is Twilight Zone material…..that is all
I will say. Because, as in all good TZ episodes, the twist is always the best
part of the story. Book clubs that really want to discuss allegory, theme,
exposition and the meat and potatoes of writing will really enjoy discussing this
book.
If your book club just wants to drink wine and touch on
a book, I challenge you to give this one a go. I think you’ll be pleasantly
surprised. Five stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment