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

Bloomsbury presents Vigil by George Saunders, read by Judy Greer with Stephen Root and a full cast.

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

'He will be read long after these times have passed' Zadie Smith

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?

Cast: Judy Greer as Jill ‘Doll’ Blaine Stephen Root as K.J. Boone MacLeod Andrews as the Frenchman Kimberly Farr as K.J.'s Mother Mark Bramhall as K.J.'s Father Karissa Vacker as Julia Kirby Heyborne as the College Kid Danny Campbell as the Cheyenne Country Club Golfer Barrett Leddy as Mel G Eric Jason Martin as Mel R Cassandra Campbell as Miss Eva Kimberly M. Wetherell as Clyda Aaron Goodson as William Fred Berman as Paul Bowman Marni Penning as the Weaver-Lady Sunil Malhotra as Mr Bhuti Ann Marie Lee as Viv Rebecca Lowman as Carol-Ann Maggi-Meg Reed as Grandma Gust Matt Godfrey as Joe, the weaver-lady's husband Vas Eli as the Russian Nurse and George Saunders as Dell

© 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing (Lydbog): 9781526698582

Udgivelsesdato

Lydbog: 27. januar 2026