About this episode

The episode features a discussion on George Saunders' novel Vigil and its themes, alongside insights from Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich.

George Saunders is back with Vigil , his first novel since  Lincoln in the Bardo . In this episode, Kate is joined by fellow book podcasters Jenny King and Sarah Kemp from The Bookcast Club to discuss it Given his back catalogue, does  Vigil  live up to the high expectations we have Saunders, one of America's most admired contemporary writers? Why is he so fond of writing about ghosts? Do death, redemption, capitalism and climate change make for an enjoyable read? Do we want novels to be enjoyable? Or do we want them to make a point? We're also exploring Leo Tolstoy's classic novella  The Death of Ivan Ilyich , cited by Saunders as a key influence on  Vigil , and asks what both books reveal about how we live, how we die, and whether it's ever too late to change. Along the way, Kate, Jenny and Sarah share recent reads, their love of a Kobo e-reader, and recommend books (and one film) following on from our book club read. Books discussed Vigil by George Saunders The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy Transcription by Ben Lerner Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino North…

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