"This novel is historically rich, deeply moving, and utterly crazy! A reminder that the only rules are the one the writer makes - and gets away with."
— Jennifer Egan @ Book Soup
“Saunders' first novel has a steep entry curve. It's not a novel that reveals itself quickly and easily, but if you give it your attention, if you burrow deep into the book, you'll be eminently rewarded. There is a richness and depth of humanity here. There is the strange and wonderful. There is love and grief and mystery all brought together in the story of Abraham Lincoln's dead son, the Civil War, and what may happen to us all after we leave the mortal coil. It's a beautiful and moving book that will stay with you for a long, long while.”
— Jason Vanhee (E), University Book Store, Seattle, WA
“The fact that Saunders’ first novel is awesome is no surprise, but everything else about it is. Lincoln in the Bardo takes a historical event and uses a recognizable form—bibliographic citation—and flips it, flips us, until we are no longer able to distinguish what is truth. Saunders reminds us that, ultimately, history is just people telling stories.”
— Claire Anderson-Ramos, BookPeople, Austin, TX