#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE The long-awaited first novel from the author of Tenth of December: a moving and original father-son story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln; as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters; living and dead; historical and invented Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post; USA Today; and Maureen Corrigan; NPR • One of Time's Ten Best Novels of the Year • A New York Times Notable Book February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest; and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long; bloody struggle. Meanwhile; President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son; Willie; lies upstairs in the White House; gravely ill. In a matter of days; despite predictions of a recovery; Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. ''My poor boy; he was too good for this earth;'' the president says at the time. ''God has called him home.'' Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns; alone; to the crypt several times to hold his boy's body. From that seed of historical truth; George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic; historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle; gripe; commiserate; quarrel; and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state-called; in the Tibetan tradition; the bardo-a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul. Lincoln in the Bardo is an astonishing feat of imagination and a bold step forward from one of the most important and influential writers of his generation. Formally daring; generous in spirit; deeply concerned with matters of the heart; it is a testament to fiction's ability to speak honestly and powerfully to the things that really matter to us. Saunders has invented a thrilling new form that deploys a kaleidoscopic; theatrical panorama of voices to ask a timeless; profound question: How do we live and love when we know that everything we love must end? ''A luminous feat of generosity and humanism.''-Colson Whitehead; The New York Times Book Review ''A masterpiece.''-Zadie Smith #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The long-awaited first novel from the author of Tenth of December: a moving and original father-son story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln; as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters; living and dead; historical and invented One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best Books of 2017 So Far * Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest; and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long; bloody struggle. Meanwhile; President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son; Willie; lies upstairs in the White House; gravely ill. In a matter of days; despite predictions of a recovery; Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. ''My poor boy; he was too good for this earth;'' the president says at the time. ''God has called him home.'' Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns; alone; to the crypt several times to hold his boy's body. From that seed of historical truth; George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic; historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle; gripe; commiserate; quarrel; and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state-called; in the Tibetan tradition; the bardo-a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul. Lincoln in the Bardo is an astonishing feat of imagination and a bold step forward from one of the most important and influential writers of his generation. Formally daring; generous in spirit; deeply concerned with matters of the heart; it is a testament to fiction's ability to speak honestly and powerfully to the things that really matter to us. Saunders has invented a thrilling new form that deploys a kaleidoscopic; theatrical panorama of voices to ask a timeless; profound question: How do we live and love when we know that everything we love must end?