This book takes place near the end of the world. A black hole is racing towards the Earth that has already been destroying planets. The two main characters are a gay couple, Don and Rodney, who have been together since the 80s.
They decide to jump into their old RV for a final adventure to head from Maine to Washington State. The couple has some unfinished business to tend to. Along the way they meet many interesting characters. Some of them are just bat shit crazy to the point of the couple wanting to avoid them. They also meet some lovely people who respect them and hold them up to be elders in the LGBT community.
What makes this book so special is all the LGBT (using the same acronym as the characters in the book used) history woven into the story. To see a gay male couple that has been together since the 80s is extremely rare. The government, mainly the Reagan administration, mishandled the AIDS epidemic of the 80s. Many gay men of that time died. It also created a homophobic hysteria.
One historical fact was how GLBT used to be the common acronym, but it became LGBT as “an honor bestowed upon lesbians, who were some of the only people to stay with the dying men.”
“We put them first because they put us first. Never forget that. When we are abandoned by the world, it was the women from our community who held our hands as we passed.”
I also enjoyed reading about the book’s take on the Stonewall event. Similar events happened in California before that. At one time, gays and gay couples were not allowed to adopt children. In addition to evolving, our society had so many kids waiting to be adopted (and still do). Thus those restrictions eventually disappeared.
Reading about Don and Rodney’s experience with a troubled youth they adopted was both beautiful and heartbreaking. While this book is about the end of the world and that alone is terrifying, I found the love between Don and Rodney to have burned so bright that it gave beauty to this event.
I would recommend the book to any adult who loves reading apocalyptic fiction, romance, and road trip stories. The author provided trigger warnings regarding suicide and death. I also highly recommend this for anyone curious about how LGBT relationships work. Learning about all the challenges Don and Rodney faced over their decades together and all the joy and pain they shared makes you realize their relationship isn’t any lesser than heterosexual relationships.
