We Burned So Bright

A heartbreaking and deeply tragic story about humanity, love, and the unbearable weight of knowing that everything will end far too soon. It explores what people cling to when time is running out, their relationships, their hopes, and the small moments that make life worth living. There is a quiet beauty woven through the sadness, making every page feel both devastating and meaningful. It's an emotional read that lingers long after the final chapter, reminding you that even in the face of inevitable loss, compassion and love remain profoundly human.

"We burned so bright" is more than just a novel and certainly more than a roadtrip. It´s not just about two gay men at the end of the world. This book is about love and loss, grief and hope, caution and freedom. We´re getting a clear image of the homophobic american politics throughout the deacades while sitting at a cozy campfire with strangers and waiting for the apocalypse - all in one chapter. Klune reveals the protagonists´ emotional backstory layer by layer for they are remembering it themselves very slowly after pushing it away a long time. The tense atmosphere sinks deep into our subconcious though it is sometimes loosen up by his light style and his prudent choice of words. "We burned so bright" is a percect mixture of ... well, everything! I highly recommend it to those who already love T.J. Klune´s work and to those who would like to read it but don´t know where to start. Start here, people! Start reading, laughing and crying just now with Rodney and Don at the end of everything!

Don and Rodney just learned about the ending of the world being for real. On their mission to get things right they get on one last trip together. They're meeting people, all of them being so different from handling the situation. T.J. Klune put depth into their story and that we only get hints about it along the storyline, that make so much sense after completing the book, makes it hard to put down. I followed their journey with great excitement and I also liked the people they meet alongside the trip. It's really interesting to think of what other people would do in that scenario and it made me think about how I'd react.

Der Erde bleiben nur noch 30 Tage, so die Prognose. Ein Schwarzes Loch wird der Untergang der Menschheit sein. Ich muss sagen, ich hatte mehr Sci-Fi erwartet, mehr Infos zu dem Schwarzen Loch. Aber ganz ehrlich: es passt zum Buch, dass man wenig über das Geschehen im All erfährt, sondern vorrangig die Geschichten der Menschen hört. Denn das ist es, was bleibt, wenn nichts mehr einen Sinn hat: Menschen, eigentlich Fremde, die sich einander Geschichten erzählen über Liebe und Hoffnung. Ein wirklich tragisches Buch, aber trotzdem irgendwie doch schön.