I really love TJ Klune’s vibe even when I don’t love his work. When I saw Mr. Klune at NY Comic-Con a few years back, I remembered how cool I thought he was and how much I liked his style and sensibilities. I really enjoyed his Extraordinaries trilogy (although his strong pro- and anti- police stands in different volumes gave me whiplash), but I didn’t really vibe with Under the Whispering Door. I enjoyed the sentiments of House on a Cerulean Sea but felt the world building was weak in a way that took me out of the book, and I felt the sequel had a deus ex machina that felt cheap. Ultimately, I enjoy his takes on love and joy even when I don’t enjoy the stories they are in.
So I decided to request from NetGalley and the publisher an eARC of We Burned So Bright, his newest book. The world is about to end due to a black whole moving through our solar system and an elderly gay couple tries to make a cross country trip before the end. Like many of his books, the meditations on love and the hearts of the characters is what shines in this piece. The world building, however, totally take me out of the story. The idea that society would be functioning enough in the weeks leading up to total annihilation to support a cross country road trip is ludicrous, and the physics does not seem plausible. It reminded me of The Last Policeman series, which was much better in just about every way. That being said, the character and relationship stuff was very moving. I sometimes wish Mr. Klune would write a nonfantastical story - I would read and enjoy it. I enjoyed this too, but with these quibbles I often have with his work.
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