In Caryn Green’s Better Angel, a citizen journalist, essayist, and amateur historian boards the Amtrak Capitol Limited and California Zephyr in September 2017. She intends to write about the Transcontinental Railroad, but her assignment takes a sudden turn when she encounters the spirit of Abraham Lincoln in human form on a Washington street. He appears as a lanky young man in black Levi’s, complete with gnarly rail-splitter hands, a cleft chin, and a floating left eye. This Lincoln claims to have escaped the afterlife dimension “Transference” to fulfill a mission at a yellow bridge in California. Lincoln conjoins with the narrator to maintain his physical form and draw energy from her, and they travel toward Union Station and the Mississippi crossing. As she confronts redacted memories of the Dead Presidents, the parched air of coach cars, and her own childhood grief, she wonders if she is fated to die or guide the former president home.

Caryn Green crafts an engaging tale that defies easy categorization, with tautly rendered characters and humor that never slackens. The narrative voice is quirky, and it captures the humor in the sudden appearance of Lincoln and how he struggles to blend with the age of iPhones and Amtrak, with his backwoods vocabulary. You have the feeling of watching a nineteenth-century fish splashing around in 2017. Better Angel is a hilarious adventure grounded in realism by the narrator’s wit. The symbolism is rendered with clarity, and the physical train becomes a democratic microcosm of today’s America, with diverse passengers, from activists to Amish. It was pure pleasure reading this book; it is skillfully plotted and imaginative in how the past collides with the present through the journey of two characters.

Better Angel by Caryn Green is a whimsical look at what might occur if Abraham Lincoln were to reappear today and how he would view the state of America in the twenty-first century. When a slightly jaded and cynical freelance reporter is tasked with writing a story titled the first and last transcontinental train journey, which intends to highlight the imminent failure of the railways in America and the potential end of the ability to cross the continent by rail, she has no idea who will be accompanying her on this monumental trip. The appearance of a youthful Abraham Lincoln, resurrected from the spirit world to seek the reporter’s help in finding a certain “golden bridge” in California, where he is required to carry out a directive from the great beyond, was a great shock. Along the way, the unlikely pair will explore their philosophies, some hidden gems along the route, and an eclectic mix of fellow travelers, some of whom recognize “Honest Abe” and some of whom will believe.

Better Angel is a fascinating premise. Author Caryn Green has used this rather sweet and gentle story to pay tribute to one of the great presidents of the country, but also to examine the depths of partisanship, division, and outright hatred that seems endemic in American society and especially its politics. The author is obviously a student of Lincoln, his life, and his works. The research is meticulous, and there are many anecdotes and discussion points from his time as president, his family life, and some lesser-known aspects of his character. The places the pair briefly stop at allow the reader a peek into the vast interior, far from the coast, where American society operates at a different pace and with a different vibe from those heavily populated, bustling, and chaotic coastal cities. I particularly enjoyed the philosophical discussions between the pair, as well as some of their fellow passengers. The inclusion of the poetry that was so close to Lincoln’s soul gave the story a well-rounded feel. The author did not paint Lincoln as the paragon of virtue that so many historians assign to him and his presidency. This story exposes the sometimes raw humanity and frailties that are part of the human experience. I found this journey with Abe restful, reflective, and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend this book.