Comment on language/style

The tone of the novel frequently shifts between absurdity and poignancy, and while it often focuses on absurd details and uses rather humorous language, the main substance of the novel lies in the exploration of deep and sorrowful themes. In terms of plot and narrative, the novel features many absurd ideas, characters, and linguistic devices. For example, the bardo itself is a fantastical realm inhabited by grotesque beings, but all of these elements are in service of highly earnest themes such as grief and coexistence. The individual stories of the inhabitants of the bardo are often entertaining and sorrowful at the same time, for the language of the novel is often offbeat and humorous, while the actual content of the stories usually includes regret, heartbreak, loss, and death. The novel seems to use an unconventional and humorous style as a way of intriguing and entertaining the reader, drawing them in to the much heavier and more important themes of the narrative.