Vigil: From the Booker Prize-winning author of ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’

Paperback Published on: 06/07/2027
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Published 06/07/2027
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Coming soon
Published 06/07/2027
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Bookseller Reviews

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Vigil
A climate-change Christmas Carol - superb
My god, Saunders does ghosts so well. Much like Lincoln In The Bardo, Vigil captures his playful, comedic style through a cast of characters (living and de... READ MORE
Red
Vigil
A very timely novel
Saunders’ new work stars a ghost who has made her (after)life’s purpose to visit the dying and provide them comfort as they pass into the next life. Unfort... READ MORE
Connor Smyth
Vigil
If you never apologise and never explain in life, what might your deathbed and afterlife be like?
This might be the new 'great American novel' capturing an era, arguably a terrible one of greed and malice, through Saunders' unique and wonderful prose. I... READ MORE
Jo at TCR
Vigil
Fantastic
This was incredible. It follows Jill 'Doll' Blaine, an elevated spirit who tries to provide comfort to people on the verge of death, as she attempts to bri... READ MORE
Helen at Scarborough
Vigil
Weird and wonderful
Nobody does weird and wonderful quite like George Saunders. Readers of Lincoln in the Bardo will find a lot to love here, in its wacky cast of ghostly figu... READ MORE
Emily
Vigil
A delight!
This is my first George Saunders read and what a delight! The writing style and characters gave me Good Omens x Christmas Carol vibes which is an excellent... READ MORE
Sarah

Synopsis

**THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

'The first must-read book of the year' Vogue
'Resonates deeply in our fractious, selfish age' Independent
'One of America's most distinguished and original writers' Spectator

Order the latest book from the Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo – a playful, wise, electric novel taking place at the bedside of an oil company CEO, in the twilight hours of his life, as he is ferried from this world into the next

What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward. . .

Not for the first time – in fact, for the 343rd time – Jill ‘Doll’ Blaine finds herself crashing down to earth, head-first, rear-up, to accompany her latest charge into the afterlife. She soon realises however that this man is not quite like the others.

For powerful oil tycoon K.J. Boone will not be consoled, because he has nothing to regret. He lived a big, bold life, and the world is better for it… isn’t it?

As death approaches, a cast of worldly and otherworldly visitors arrive. Crowds of people and animals – alive and dead – materialise, birds swarm the dying man’s room, and associates from decades past show up, all clamouring for a reckoning.

In this electric novel brimming with explosive imagination, George Saunders confronts the biggest issues of our time with his trademark humour and warmth, spinning a tale that encompasses life and death, good and evil, and the inevitable question: who else could we be but exactly who we are?

Vigil was no. 10 in the Sunday Times Hardback Fiction chart and no. 1 in the New York Times Hardcover Fiction chart, w/e 1 February

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
  • ISBN: 9781526624345
  • Number of pages: 192
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Vigil
Inventive and thought provoking..
A ghost, Jill “Doll” Blaine, is on a quest to provide comfort to the dying as they give up their mortal coil and pass into the spirit world. She is now pre... READ MORE
Emine at Bromley
Vigil
Topical, thought provoking and funny - brilliant
Like the wonderful Lincoln in the Bardo, Vigil is concerned with the afterlife and this time concentrates on the efforts of Jill ‘Doll’ Blaine and various ... READ MORE
Rachel
Vigil
strange, mysterious and beautiful
What a strange, beautiful and mysterious story. The immediacy of the writing is very striking, with the minute details of a life set against the mysteries ... READ MORE
Sarah Wood
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Vigil
Clever and profound
Vigil by George Saunders is a clever, profound playful novel set during the final hours of the life of an oil tycoon K.J. Boone who was instrumental in pro... READ MORE
Ciaran McLarnon
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Vigil
A rollicking good ride
Oh, Vigil. What a tricksy thing you are. On one hand you are extraordinary, being in the vein of the much loved Lincoln in the Bardo. Lyrical, irreverent, ... READ MORE
KimG9
Vigil
A modern day Christmas Carol
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy. Having never read George Saunders before I had no idea what to expect but I am pleased to report t... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
Vigil
Easy read, quite enjoyable but a bit slight
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I tried Lincoln in the Bardo but couldnt really get on with it. As far as I can ... READ MORE
am/am/am
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Vigil
Vigil
I just finished Vigil by George Saunders, and it left me feeling unsettled. It is funny, strange, and occasionally frustrating in ways that are clearly in... READ MORE
Mark Redman
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Vigil
Thought-provoking short book
Vigil by George Saunders was intriguing from beginning to end. In the space held between passing from life to death, big themes of life were explored: how ... READ MORE
Ditalion Werner
Verified Purchase
Vigil
Vigil
I just finished Vigil by George Saunders, and it left me feeling unsettled. It is funny, strange, and occasionally frustrating in ways that are clearly in... READ MORE
Mark Redman
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Vigil
Christmas Carol meets Climate Change in the Bardo-verse.
Short story master George Saunder’s debut novel “Lincoln In the Bardo”, as this year’s best book on the Booker longlist “Endling” reminded us “catapulted [... READ MORE
Graham Fulcher
Vigil
Splendidly surreal and imaginative
Loosely based on ‘A Christmas Carol’, this modern, surreal and subtly humorous take on Dickens’ classic novella gives the morality tale an environmental sp... READ MORE
Andrew Smith
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