Posted by: sara | July 20th, 2026
Last November, I was talking on the phone with my friend Dianna in Tucson, having a heart-to-heart following her husband’s death. An old book title, "Lincoln in the Bardo," danced across my mind. I remembered so many people reading that book back in 2018, though I never bought it myself. Originating from Tibetan Buddhism, a bardo is the transitional state a soul enters between death and its next rebirth. And it was that word— "bardo"—that kept manifesting. It conjured images of the dead stuck in an "in-between" state, and of us, the living, tethering them here because we simply can't let go. "Let’s read this book together!" I told Dianna and, just like that, the obsession began.
Dianna and I both LOVED this poignant yet wildly off-the-wall story of dear Abraham Lincoln grieving for his 11-year-old son, Willie, after the lad succumbs to typhoid fever. A friend on the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, offered their family mausoleum at Oak Hill Cemetery for Willie’s burial. And it is this cemetery that is the setting of George Saunders’ masterpiece, where we meet some very interesting characters who are stuck in this liminal space, yet don’t even realize they are dead! In fact, the bardo residents refer to their coffins as mere "sick-boxes!?"
Without giving away the plot, suffice it to say it’s a crown jewel of creativity---the kind of book where you laugh, cry, hold your breath, and gasp on the same page. Saunders uses historical and fictional references to keep us in our own mental limbo as we experience what Lincoln must have felt as he mourned his son (including trips to the mausoleum to hold Willie) during a national crisis. The ending is simply riveting as (spoiler alert!) a former slave’s spirit enters Lincoln’s soul as they ride out from the cemetery. This is the genius of Saunders in foretelling how Lincoln will channel his private grief into a universal empathy and a renewed mission to fight for equality and emancipation.
Last month when Hank and I were in Washington DC, of course we had to visit Oak Hill Cemetery! And now is the time, dear reader, to explain the title of this little epistle. It’s because when we arrived at the cemetery, we found the Gatehouse closed and one of those clock signs on the door, "Return at 2:30." We drove around endlessly---around and around and around---unable to locate the Carroll mausoleum. When, at last, the cemetery superintendent showed up, Paul Williams apologized for his absence, but didn’t we realize that ALAN GREENSPAN’s funeral had been held here that morning??! Paul had taken a break for lunch but would now be more than happy to escort us down to the Carroll crypt in his motorized chariot (luxury golf cart). And, yes, it is VERY hard to access..far back off a main path, and down some dangerous steps.
"Just imagine, Sara. You are standing in the exact same spot as Abraham Lincoln. He would have hitched his horse right here before walking down to the mausoleum." Paul said there has been a huge increase in foot traffic over the past few years with visitors eager to see Willie’s tomb. Inside, there is a plaque, and many visitors toss Lincoln pennies inside. In 1865, Willie's remains were moved to Springfield to be buried alongside his father. And yet...
P.S. When I finished reading the book in February, I learned that very week that the Metropolitan Opera was premiering "Lincoln in the Bardo" this fall! Dianna and I already have our tickets! Squeeze me. But wait, there’s more. Tom Hanks has been spotted over in London filming... (dramatic pause) ... "Lincoln in the Bardo." Look for that to drop in theaters later this year. Save some popcorn for me!
