To say that George Saunders is regarded as one of the best writers of fiction currently working would not be considered hyperbolic by many. His short stories are masterful and his debut novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, received universal acclaim, winding up on nearly every “Best of the Year” list in 2017 and ultimately winning the prestigious Booker Prize. I adored it, the audio version especially, and so eagerly anticipated his latest, Vigil. I suppose it was inevitable that it couldn’t quite live up to its predecessor, but it’s still a highly engaging and deeply satisfying story, filled with the moments of clarity and wisdom that only a writer as empathetic as Saunders can deliver.
Jill “Doll” Blaine has been dead for some time and now works as a sort of guide for those about to enter the afterlife, attempting to make the experience of dying less upsetting for them. Her latest assignment is wealthy oil tycoon K.J. Boone, who appears to be succumbing to a particularly unpleasant disease. Jill knows nothing of him aside from what she can see, but instantly finds him to be more difficult than her usual charges. Another spirit unexpectedly arrives on the scene, apparently Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir, the inventor of the internal combustion engine, who is intent on getting Boone to realize and atone for the sins he committed against the Earth while building his fortune, as he himself did.
Boone sees nothing wrong in his actions and only continues to behave monstrously, to the chagrin of the Frenchman and the consternation of Jill, who frequently heads outside of the house to collect herself. The sounds of a wedding party taking place next door remind her of the joys of life and she begins to recall some of her own, which she is not supposed to do. Despite her attempts to block them, memories of her life and death keep returning to her and so she takes a brief side trek to learn of the fates of those she once loved and begins to better understand who she was, is, and wants to be.
Boone is about as stereotypical an example of the big bad businessman archetype as one can find and is very underdeveloped here. That said, this is really Jill’s story, and he is only here to serve as a foil and trigger her own self-reflection and growth, and in that manner he functions well. In contrast, Jill is a fascinating character, instantly engaging in her sweetly naïve way and only more so as her eyes are opened to who she is trying to help and how his actions have affected the entire planet. Side characters make for some amusing diversions, but it’s Jill the reader will savor most.
Saunders continues his interest in the afterlife, using it nicely as a springboard for examining human nature. It isn’t quite as unique as it was when he first attempted it in Lincoln in the Bardo, but I still enjoy his take on how it functions. Bringing the impending threat that is climate change into the mix lends a little more heft to the otherwise fairly light proceedings and will certainly leave the reader to ponder what lies in store for us as a species, but it is used more to raise awareness than leave the audience feeling miserable. If anything, Saunders is in full life-affirming mode here, whether you consider that a good or bad thing is up to you. I did find Vigil a little slight compared to some of his other works, but I couldn’t help but love it all the same. Like a contemporary spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, it’s epic in its intimacy, highly entertaining, and irresistibly yet cautiously optimistic. ★★★★
★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor
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