This afternoon, the Book Club met to dig into Vigil, George Saunders’s challenging second novel, and we examined what this brief tale of an otherworldly protagonist’s difficulties in carrying out her mission to comfort the dying might have to tell us about our own world, the place of the powerful and the powerless in it, and our responsibilities to one another.
Is the book asking readers to get out of their comfort zone, confront the limits of their ability to empathize, and find the humanity in the most monstrous of men? Is Saunders telling a cautionary tale about those who are too certain of their place — or about those who assume they’re life’s central characters, entitled to “command the mighty levers” of civilization? Is it all an elaborate allegory for the predations of the Epstein class? Is he asking climate doomers to think past their dystopian scenarios? Vigil is a slim book that takes on some very big questions — and it doesn’t leave us with easy answers.
Next week, on Wednesday, February 25, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern (one hour later than usual), we’ll have a chance to ask George Saunders about the book’s many meanings. In the meantime, click on the video player above to catch up on today’s conversation — and then leave your questions for next week in the comments below.
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How to participate in the Book Club
Each week, we’ll post questions — our discussion guide — on Sunday, and on alternate Wednesdays we’ll meet for a discussion with the Club or a visit from an author or other special guest (occasionally we’ll schedule on alternate days or times, but we will let you know). Look out for posts with further details.
The Book Club will meet next on Wednesday, February 25, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern (one hour later than usual), for a special author talk with George Saunders.
To participate in our meetings and author talks on Substack Live, join from your phone or tablet with the Substack app. You can also watch from your computer at The Ink, and comment and ask questions in our chat, but you won’t be able to join the live video discussion. Make sure you enable notifications, and when our meetings begin, you should receive an email alert; if you can’t find the message, just check the notifications tab (the small bell-shaped icon to the upper right of the website or lower right of the app at the time of the event to find a link.
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