What’s Our Town doing in a dystopian survival thriller?
Our Town makes a cameo in Beyond the Lost Horizon because the play packs an emotional punch for Quinn Cozens and Yui Kikuchi.
Beyond the Lost Horizon plays with fire from Chapter 1 until the 37,000th word. But it’s got some hidden gems.
There’s a scene when Quinn’s reading his favorite play, Our Town, and it’s more than a simple plot device. It boasts one of the most powerful messages ever, and one that Quinn learned to embrace.
The message in question? You can’t go back, but you can always go forward. Nostalgia every now and again is fine, but it’s a double-edged sword.
Hell, I’ve been talking about nostalgia so much, I created a section for it in my Lore Compendium. But don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not the type who sulks and says, “If I could just go back.”
If that were the case, I’d spend my free time listening to Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen. Don’t get me wrong: I love going “back” for a while, but the here and now’s always better if you just look in front of you.
Our Town boasts a message we all need to embrace
In Act III of the play, one of the main characters dies shortly after giving birth to her second child. The character, Emily, joins those we’d gotten to know in Acts I and II who’d since passed on, like Simon Stimson, Wally Webb, Mrs. Gibbs, and Mrs. Soames.
Emily wishes she can go back, just for a short time. Mrs. Gibbs warns against it, knowing Emily wouldn’t be able to interact with anyone she was close to. She could see and hear them, but that would be it.
Emily goes back anyway, returning for her 12th birthday. For a minute, she’s overjoyed, but that joy is short-lived. It transforms into unimaginable pain, as Emily realizes that something as simple as a birthday party goes underappreciated, and that people don’t treasure every moment of life as they should.
She then asks the Stage Manager to send her back, but not before one final goodbye to mortal life. Then, the Stage Manager utters the heartbreaking words, “No. The saints and poets, maybe – they do some,” after Emily asks if anyone understands the value of life.
It’s more than just Quinn’s (and Yours Truly’s) favorite play
Yesterday, I wrote about the day Beyond the Lost found its soul, and how August 17th, 2024 was the last time I’d seen my maternal grandmother alive.
That painful experience turned bittersweet when it gave me motivation to expand Quinn’s backstory and flashbacks in Book I, Beyond the Lost Horizon, that evening.
So, Our Town was just fitting, and you’ll notice that, after Quinn reads some of it, those flashbacks and senses of longing subside. He’s not looking to the past as much as he is the present, and it motivates him to protect Yui that much more.
Our Town reminds us that we’ve been gifted something special
For me, when I’m feeling beyond angry, stressed, or that the world’s stacked against me, I think about Our Town. I might even read a little about it, or its playwright, Thornton Wilder.
It reminds me that, in the grand scheme, stressing out on anything, regardless of the stakes, is minute. And that every day we have is a gift and an opportunity to make the best out of the present moment, which will, in turn, shape our future.
That’s a reminder that Quinn needed in Beyond the Lost Horizon. And boy, does it shape his character.
Want to see Quinn and Yui team up in this dystopian survival thriller that holds a few hidden gems? Join the ride today and brace yourself for one unforgettable trilogy.
