George Saunders’ New Novel Sparks Debate on Climate Accountability and Redemption

Last month, congressional Republicans introduced legislation to shield Big Oil companies from liability for their role in the climate crisis. This was the latest in a decades-long effort by the fossil fuel industry to evade accountability for delaying the clean energy transition through climate deception.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are already facing the consequences of climate-related disasters—heat waves, fires, floods, and droughts—that Big Oil companies predicted internally decades ago. Internal documents warned of “globally catastrophic” climate harms, including “more storms, more droughts, more deluges,” and “death due to thermal extremes.”

Vigil: A Novel on Climate Denial and Redemption

In his most recent novel, Vigil, George Saunders examines climate denial and accountability through the story of K.J. Boone, a dying Big Oil executive visited in his final hours by Jill, a spirit tasked with comforting those transitioning to the afterlife.

While the premise is supernatural, the core question is urgent: How do we balance accountability and mercy, especially in cases of profound evil, such as Big Oil’s climate deception? This differs from Saunders’ earlier work, which focused on holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their climate crimes.

Saunders on Empathy, Art, and Climate Justice

In a conversation with Aaron Regunberg, Saunders discussed the novel’s themes, the value of empathy in organizing, the role of art in social change, and what comfort looks like on a planet already locked into severe climate catastrophe.

On the Novel’s Purpose

George Saunders: “When I started, there was an overlay of, ‘Well, I’m 67, what’s the most urgent thing happening in the universe? Climate change.’ But I realized that while climate change is in this book, it’s not about climate change. The goal, I guess, is really just to wake a reader up a little bit—to make a person more aware of the world around them, to maybe feel a little more fond of the world.”

Reactions to the Novel

George Saunders: “Now that I’m done with it, I can see that it’s an agitating book for a lot of people. Some people really loved it, some hated it. And that’s kind of a first for me. That’s sort of a nice accomplishment, at this late stage—to do something slightly new, even if it’s annoying.”

On the Ending

Aaron Regunberg: “There was so much I loved about this book. But I was really upset by the ending.”

George Saunders: “I think a lot of people either thought, ‘Oh it’s the most beautiful ending’ or, ‘I hate it.’ Tell me what got under your skin.”

Aaron Regunberg: “We live in a world that has been so corroded by elite impunity. So to watch K.J. Boone, who during his lifetime took