By Felix Park Weir
TJ Klune’s latest work, We Burned So Bright, is a piece of apocalyptic fiction that ponders what makes our actions meaningful in the face of certain death. As Don and his husband Rodney push to complete a road trip in their old age before a black hole swallows the earth, the reader is forced to consider why they linger in certain places despite being on a time limit. Their destination in Washington remains unnamed, but a certain unwillingness to make amends with conflicts long past seems to keep the two men in a perpetually delayed.
Throughout the book, the intricacies of Don and Rodney’s relationship are shown through Don’s eyes. He muses on his husband’s obstinate nature, holding within himself the knowledge that he is now the sole person to see the lighter side of the man. In their later years they have grown quiet together, yet Don still stares Rodney down, haltingly confessing that he thinks about him all the time, even as they are face-to-face. This road trip brings a surprising and new lightness as the pair drive closer to their shared secret, and closer to the blame they both hold.
The couple’s encounters with others on the road offer a wide-ranging exploration of humanity at the end of itself. While the dialogue on display errs on the melodramatic side, these awkward monologues are smoothed over by the pull of the black hole and of what lies at the end of Don and Rodney’s journey. Throughout encounters with younger queer people, free spirited strangers and a teenager with a ranch to get back to, Don keeps his eyes and mind on their unnamed destination. A box sits in the back of their RV, more valuable than their own lives. The conclusion to this story creeps up on the reader, information slotting into place to form a roaring crescendo of grief and of love.
