George Saunders’ latest metaphysical mystery
The novel’s central sensibility, a spirit in a pink blouse and black pumps. Jill “Doll” Blaine from Indiana, flies over affluent houses.
In Vigil, George Saunders uses ghost stories, fables, satire and social comedy, all mixed but not blended, to support a morality tale about capitalist greed and climate change. The narrative style is far from smooth. It swerves between intense description, dialogue, drama and plangent memories, using the clichés of big business and absurd jokes. There are Trumpian rants with coarse language, teenagers’ interjections of “duh” and “yikes” and a French character who says “Voilà”, “Idiote” and “Quelle horreur”, all on the edge of parody.
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