Narrated by TJ Clark
I’ve become a big fan of Kelly Jensen’s over the past few months and was delighted to be able to snap up a copy of To See the Sun for review. By one of those odd flukes, I read the book a few weeks ago, before I had any idea it was coming out in audio, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to enjoy it again.
The story takes place at some unspecified time in the future when the human race and civilisation has finally moved beyond Earth and has spread through distant galaxies. At the edge of one of those galaxies is the garden planet Zhemosen, a reputed paradise of blue skies, bright sunshine and lush greenery… if you can afford it. The rich enjoy life in the fresh, open air, while those less fortunate live in the undercity, a place where “water tastes like sweat”, the air is bitter, and the streets are dark and dangerous. It’s here that Gael Sonnen just about manages to eke out an existence, but when he fails to carry out an assassination ordered by the powerful family he works for (and is practically enslaved to) he has no alternative but to run – and run as far as possible. But with no money, it looks as though his only option will be to sign up for a long indenture which he’ll likely never get out of – until a friend suggests an alternative. There are plenty of people living in the outer colonies at the far-flung edges of the galaxy who are looking for companions, be it for friends or lovers, and there are companies who specialise in arranging companion contracts. If Gael were to sign up with one of them, his youth and good-looks will surely garner him plenty of replies, and as many of the contracts are initially for only a year, it will at least buy him some breathing space.
On the opposite side of this particular galaxy is Alkirak, a partially terraformed planet owned by the Mudini Mining Corporation. The conditions are harsh; acid rains and violent storms are common, and the inhabitants live in the crevasses that traverse the planet’s surface. Former miner Abraham Bauer works hard to keep his small farm running, but at least it’s better than working himself to death for a paycheck. It’s a lonely life, and he longs for someone to share it with and maybe one day, build a family with. It seems an almost impossible dream; it’s not difficult to find someone to have sex with on Alkirak, but Bram wants more than that, he wants affection and connection – maybe even love – and those are much harder to come by. When he hears about companion contracts, he’s sceptical; after all, there are millions like him out there looking to make a connection, and who in their right mind would want to come to live on a remote outpost with an unstable atmosphere for what little Bram has to offer? Still, he signs up anyway, and logging onto the site one evening finds himself captivated by the video of a beautiful young man whose hesitant manner and obvious sweetness speak to something deep within Bram that is more than simple lust. He can’t quite believe it, but dares to hope that in Gael Sonnen, he may have found what he’s looking for.
Bram and Gael are decent, likeable, ordinary men who just want a quiet life and someone to share it with who shares their interests, aims and outlook. An unexpected event early in the story seems as though it might wreck their chances of forging the connection they both want to make so badly, but fortunately, they’re able to work around it and soon, Gael begins to make himself a place in Bram’s life. Bram has become rather used to being alone and at first finds it hard to adjust to having someone else in his home, but slowly comes to appreciate the quiet and unconditional companionship Gael offers, and I really loved the way Gael starts to make things easier for Bram in small, but important ways, such as cooking a meal or just sitting with him quietly at the end of the day watching a movie. Their romance builds steadily as they work alongside each other and begin to find out more about one another; it’s touching and really well-developed, even though there’s something niggling at the back of Bram’s mind that tells him Gael hasn’t quite told him everything.
There’s enough drama – but not too much – along the way to keep things moving, but this is essentially a story about two people who, while living in a completely different time and place, want the same things from life that many of us want – affection, companionship, family – and will fight hard to keep them.
The worldbuilding in the story is excellent, and Ms. Jensen incorporates details about Alkirak and Zhemosen, the way their societies work and how people live there, seamlessly into the narrative. Her descriptions of the locations her characters inhabit or visit are vivid and enable the listener to build a clear picture in the mind’s eye of the dark undercity on Zhemosen or the austere, hostile surface of Alkirak and the dangerous sun that colours the horizon and makes the clouds glow.
TJ Clark appears to be relatively new to the world of audiobook narration, and I’m pleased to say that he delivers a very enjoyable performance here. He has an attractive speaking voice, his pacing is just right and his enunciation is clear; he differentiates well between the leads, pitching Bram’s voice a little lower than Gael’s and slowing his delivery a little, which works well to depict the large, lonely somewhat shy man described in the text. Bram’s former colleague and mayor of Alkirak, Orfeo, speaks in a deep, gravelly tone, and Mr. Clark portrays the female characters well, making them sound different from the men without a great hike in pitch or added affectation. I was also pleased to hear the amount of expression he injects into his performance; never over the top, but expertly realising and conveying the depth of emotion that is required in certain scenes.
To See the Sun may be set in a distant future on a distant planet, but the best sci-fi allows us to examine facets of our own condition even as we explore unfamiliar locations, societies and characters. At its heart, this is a sweetly romantic story about two lonely people who find everything they ever wanted in each other, and is strongly recommended.
Caz
Buy To See the Sun by Kelly Jensen on Amazon
Oh this sounds great. I’ll have to give it a try!