"Takes place in his universe of failed revolutions, radical shamanism, and off-kilter nomenclature. In each of these seven vignettes, someone dies and has to make their way through the Tibetan afterlife, also known as the Bardo. In the Bardo, souls wander for forty-nine days before being reborn, helped along on their journey by the teachings of the Book of the Dead. Unfortunately, Volodine's characters bungle their chances at enlightenment, with the recently dead choosing to waste away their afterlife sleeping, or choosing to be reborn as an insignificant spider. The still-living aren't much better off, making a mess of things in their own ways, such as erroneously reciting a Tibetan cookbook to a lost comrade instead of the holy book"--
- ISBN10 1940953332
- ISBN13 9781940953335
- Publish Date 28 April 2016 (first published 14 November 2005)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Open Letter
- Format Paperback
- Pages 172
- Language English