Home / Arts and Entertainment / Saunders' New Novel: Climate Denier Faces Spiritual Reckoning
Saunders' New Novel: Climate Denier Faces Spiritual Reckoning
5 Feb
Summary
- Novel features a dying oil tycoon who denied climate change.
- A spirit guides the tycoon toward confronting his environmental impact.
- Critics are sharply divided on the novel's artistic merit.
George Saunders' latest novel, Vigil, presents a stark narrative beginning with a spirit's dramatic descent to Earth. This spirit, Jill Blaine, is tasked with confronting KJ Boone, a wealthy oil tycoon whose decades of environmental denial have had catastrophic consequences.
The novel unfolds over 172 pages, introducing a cast of characters determined to make Boone face his legacy before his death. Saunders masterfully combines high-concept ideas with dark humor, a signature style that often generates strong reactions.
