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George Saunders' 'Vigil' is a brief and bumpy return to the Bardo
['Maureen Corrigan', "Book Critic For Npr'S Fresh Air", 'Is The Nicky', 'Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor Of The Practice In Literary Criticism At Georgetown University. She Is An Associate Editor Of', 'Contributor To Mystery', 'Suspense Writers', 'Scribner', 'The Winner Of The Edgar Award For Criticism', 'Presented The Mystery Writers Of America. In', 'Corrigan Was Awarded The Nona Balakian Citation For Excellence In Reviewing The National Book Critics Circle.']
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If Heaven, according to Talking Heads, is the place where nothing ever happens, the Bardo, according to George Saunders, is as jam-packed and frantic as Costco on Black Friday.
Vigil is a briefer and bumpier return visit back to the Bardo.
Instead of the mythic grief of Lincoln, here we have the passing of one somewhat mundane, if contemptible, human being.
Plummeting down into Boone's palatial bedroom from a more elevated spiritual realm is a woman named Jill "Doll" Blaine.
Surely, the Bardo must be packed with critics struggling to let go of ego; atoning for negative and even mixed reviews like this one.