Vigil

by George Saunders

First published 2026

Jill "Doll" Blaine crashes into the circular drive of an ornate mansion, wearing her favorite black pumps. She has arrived to perform her sacred duty for the 344th time since her own death. Her job is simple: comfort dying souls as they pass into the afterlife. But K.J. Boone, the powerful oil company CEO lying on his deathbed, refuses consolation. He believes he lived a big, bold life that made the world better. As his final evening unfolds, crowds gather around Boone. Birds swarm his room. A black calf appears on the loveseat. A man from a drought-ravaged village materializes. Two old business cronies arrive with chilling plans for Boone's future beyond death. The living and the dead, the worldly and otherworldly, all clamor for a reckoning with this man who shows no regret.

Genres: literary-fiction, fantasy, supernatural, contemporary, magical-realism, paranormal

Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: death, found-family, ghosts, supernatural

Setting: Mansion

Period: Contemporary

174 pages · Hardcover · Random House

Content warnings: death

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