George Saunders's new novel 'Vigil' has sparked polarised reactions, with some hailing it as a 'modern masterpiece' and others dismissing it as 'enraging' or 'gibberish'. The book, which follows a spirit sent to console an oil tycoon who has denied climate change, has been described as a wacky, climate-change take on 'A Christmas Carol'. Saunders, who won the Booker Prize for 'Lincoln in the Bardo', told the BBC that the ambiguity of the novel is intended to provoke a range of emotions from delight to extreme frustration.
The story opens with its narrator, Jill Blaine, plummeting to Earth and landing headfirst in a driveway. She is a spirit tasked with comforting KJ Boone, an oil tycoon who has spent decades denying the environmental damage he has caused. Over 172 pages, a cast of characters attempts to change his mind before his death, blending high concepts with low comedy. Saunders said the inspiration came during a week of 'wacky' weather, prompting him to consider whether a climate denier could make amends at the eleventh hour.
Saunders sought to present Boone's worldview fairly, including an internal monologue where Boone justifies his deceit by citing the benefits of fossil fuels, such as agricultural innovations and life-saving medicine. The author acknowledged that environmentally minded readers might feel enraged, but noted that fiction allows one to 'poke at your own side'. The novel avoids a traditional redemption arc, instead exploring how much compassion can be shown to an unrepentant wrongdoer and whether actions are truly blameworthy or predetermined.
Critics have been sharply divided. The Los Angeles Times called it a 'dazzling… virtuoso achievement', while the Times of London labelled it 'hysterical… gibberish'. Saunders, known for his short stories and Substack newsletter 'Story Club', relished the challenge of writing a difficult novel, comparing it to a Houdini escape act. He noted that, like his previous novel 'Lincoln in the Bardo', 'Vigil' takes place in a liminal space between life and death, with ethereal evocations of environmental collapse.
