Reviews and Comments

It's me and I obviously missed something.

Not a good sign when, 20 pages into the novel, I had to google, “How does one read Lincoln in the Bardo?” and I came across a video by the author instructing me on how to. Once I got that understanding…off I went and started to read. Still a little uncertain that I wasn’t entirely getting it…I also downloaded a cheat sheet to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything. And I did miss a few things. Not an ideal way of reading a novel.

Two parts of the novel that I had issues with. 1. The structure. Is that what one calls it? Once I got it in my head that I am to read the “ghosts” part of the novel as I'm reading an experimental theatre show script and the quotes from historical books to provide context like I was reading a Ken Burns documentary….I was on a roll. 2. I really enjoyed the parts of the novel that were focused on Willie and Abraham Lincoln. I could have done without the rest.

My final thoughts…and I blame this on me being an engineer, I’m not particularly sophisticated when it comes to literature or art, in general. And it reminded me of the time I stood in front of a Jackson Pollock painting. I didn’t get it. I didn’t like it. But the arts community…..LOVED IT. With “Lincoln in the Bardo”, the literary community loved it. But I didn’t get it and I didn’t like it.