Amazingly, this is the third book by George Saunders that we have read in our book group which has to be the most by any one author in our nearly twenty-year history.
It is amazing because he has never been our favorite and in fact on occasion I have feared for his personal sanity. I still shudder when I think of one of the stories in The Tenth of December and certainly you know which one if you read the book. It was great, really amazing writing and incredible imagination. I loved it but I don't want to revisit it and neither did most of us.
Lincoln in the Bardo was perhaps easier to fathom although still a challenge and wonderfully written. Again, while full of admiration, few of us looked forward to a reread.
Vigil however, the majority of us liked although we didn't think it was as accomplished as the prior two. Mary found very interesting interpretations from AI that added a lot to our discussion. The meanings of the "spirits" were particularly interesting - what was the point of having one be French? Is that historically accurate? And what is the significance of Doll having been blown to bits and then becoming a spirit that helps others into death. So all very George Saunders, but we liked it.
That being said, we also did not think it was as well-written or as impressive as his prior works. The New York Times agreed with us, here is its review:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/books/review/george-saunders-vigil.html
And on we go - our next book is Venetian Vespers by John Banville. It is an atmospheric psychologic mystery from an Irish author who has been writing great books for decades. I just finished his novel Snow and cannot get over how good it was.
We will meet at my house, July 20 at 6:30. See you then!
