April 12

The bardo is the space between death and the afterlife. It functions in Saunders’ book as a space where all of these characters, who have previously died, are awaiting their decision between eternal death and reincarnation/afterlife. I think the bardo also acts as a space where grief is more tangible to those on earth who are suffering what constantly feels like the never ending cycle of healing from grief. In the same way, I think the bardo acts as a space for the characters to grieve the decisions and choices they made in their life and accept their fate as was intended in their journey.