WE BURNED SO BRIGHT
A heart-wrenching standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, We Burned So Bright follows an elder gay couple on an end-of-the-world road-trip.
The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky….
Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they’ve experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.
Now, the world is ending for real.
A heart-wrenching standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, We Burned So Bright follows an elder gay couple on an end-of-the-world road-trip.
The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky….
Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they’ve experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.
Now, the world is ending for real. A rogue black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they’ve ever known will be gone.
Suddenly, after 40 years together, Don and Rodney are out of time. They’re in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it’s all over.
On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how—impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals, and new friends.
And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.
Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?
- Tor Books
- Hardcover
- April 2026
- 176 Pages
- 9781250881236
Buy the Book
$25.99
About TJ Klune
TJ KLUNE is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Green Creek Series for adults, the Extraordinaries Series for teens, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.
Praise
“Klune’s heart-wrenching plot and emotional prose are on full display in this wonderful queer apocalyptic story.” —Library Journal, starred review
“This is classic Klune, a warm and cozy story even in the face of overwhelming grief, with complex family dynamics at the heart of it…readers can’t get enough of Klune’s brand of emotionally satisfying storytelling.” —Booklist
Discussion Questions
1. In his author’s note, TJ Klune lets us know that love, grief, and death will be explored in We Burned So Bright, and he asks us to “read with care.” What emotions did you experience as you accompanied Don and Rodney on this trip? How were you transformed by the time you reached the end?
2. John and Megan want to stifle their grieving, and they try to hide the truth from their children. Why do Don and Rodney have the strength to face reality in such an open, direct way?
3. Are Amelia’s actions a form of mercy? What is the effect of pairing Amelia’s story with the inhumane acts committed by humanity against animals? At their core, are humans “feral”?
4. The novel raises fundamental questions about what it means to be human and the nature of the universe. What would your final quest be if you knew that our galaxy only had a few days left to survive?
5. Pantomime describes the messages carried by the Voyager space probes. What does the novel say about mementos and legacies? Would you want to make a record of your life even if no one would be left to receive it?
6. In Chapter 5, Rodney gives Amy and Becca an education in gay American history. In what way is Rodney’s life with Don interwoven with that history, making the endurance of their relationship even more beautiful?
7. In the novel, why does the government continue to try to enforce laws? How would you manage the impending chaos if you were in power?
8. As the story of Jeremy was revealed to you, what did you discover about Don and Rodney’s unlimited capacity for love and unlimited hope for healing?
9. The closing scene is an image of tender laughter. What keeps Don and Rodney’s love burning bright throughout the years?
10. If you have read other books by TJ Klune, how does We Burned So Bright enhance your experience of those previous works? Guide by Amy Root Clements