Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
To see her brighten when I came in, find her leaning into me as we discussed some household matter, improved my lot in ways I cannot adequately explain. I had been happy, happy enough, but now I often found myself uttering a spontaneous prayer that went, simply: She is here, still here.
George Saunders • Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
And proceeded past Trevor Williams, former hunter, seated before the tremendous heap of all the animals he had dispatched in his time: hundreds of deer, thirty-two black bear, three bear cubs, innumerable coons, lynx, foxes, mink, chipmunks, wild turkeys, woodchucks, and cougars; scores of mice and rats, a positive tumble of snakes, hundreds of cow
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Reading this seemed to be the key to understanding why so many remained after death and why so many were eventually unburdened.
Strange, isn’t it? To have dedicated one’s life to a certain venture, neglecting other aspects of one’s life, only to have that venture, in the end, amount to nothing at all, the products of one’s labors utterly forgotten?
George Saunders • Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
Death doesn't care and there's a steady stream of wasted life recounted in this book.
Strange, isn’t it? To have dedicated one’s life to a certain venture, neglecting other aspects of one’s life, only to have that venture, in the end, amount to nothing at all, the products of one’s labors utterly forgotten?
George Saunders • Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
inclined. These were Abernathy, Seville, and Kord, all of whom
George Saunders • Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
Poor multiply raped Litzie became capable of speech, her first utterance consisting of words of thanks to Mrs. Hodge for speaking for her, during all of those mute and lonely years.
George Saunders • Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
Sometimes you need somebody to be your anger until the numbness resolves.
He does not (no) look like he is sleeping. He was an open-mouthed sleeper and many expressions would play across his face as he dreamed and he would sometimes mumble a few silly words.
George Saunders • Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel
Attack those petty platitudes, George.
Sir, if you are as powerful as I feel that you are, and as inclined toward us as you seem to be, endeavor to do something for us, so that we might do something for ourselves. We are ready, sir; are angry, are capable, our hopes are coiled up so tight as to be deadly, or holy: turn us loose, sir, let us at it, let us show what we can do. thomas have
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Damn. That's some hot stuff if you've read this book. The cacophony builds to this unified message.
His mind was freshly inclined toward sorrow; toward the fact that the world was full of sorrow; that everyone labored under some burden of sorrow; that all were suffering; that whatever way one took in this world, one must try to remember that all were suffering (none content; all wronged, neglected, overlooked, misunderstood), and therefore one mu
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