As Bright As Heaven

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, death, child death, and substance use.

As a whole, As Bright as Heaven interrogates the way that humans navigate the most painful parts of existence, and one tactic that the novel proposes is the simple act of being kind to one another. Care for fellow humans evolves not just as a moral good but as an imperative for survival—the element that gives life meaning and defines humanity.

Pauline, in an ironic contrast, comes to an understanding of the importance of care through her work in the embalming room at the funeral home. Though a wife and mother who is accustomed to providing emotional support for her husband and nurturing her children, Pauline’s work preparing bodies for viewing and then burial causes her to confront the slender boundaries between life and death. She thinks of the soul as the flame that, in death, leaves behind the body, the candle; all that is left to observe the passage of a human life is this last bit of care for the candle before the body is committed to the earth. Pauline sees this final rite as another provision of nurture that reaches across cultures and across history and has taken on a sacred aspect. She understands, too, that this final act of caring for the deceased is a gesture of respect for those saying goodbye to a loved one. Pauline, and then Maggie, finds that restoring the person to a semblance of life helps the living through this transition, as they have a final chance to relate to the person they knew. The novel thus blurs the line between physical and emotional labor, showing how even clinical work like embalming becomes a profound expression of empathy and a tool for communal healing. This reverence for life, the novel posits, is a defining aspect of humanity.

Such reverence is lost in situations like war or a pandemic. Jamie feels that his very identity has been altered by the obligation to take human life. He had previously defined himself as an obedient son, joining the family business with his father, and taking care of his vulnerable younger brother, Charlie. The wounds of his war experience make him feel that it is impossible to return to his old life, and for several years, the thread holding him to existence is Maggie’s letters—evidence that someone cared for him. Evelyn observes that the survivors of the pandemic are similarly wounded by the brutal loss of life. During the worst days of the pandemic, when bodies fill the funeral parlor and their porch and there are not enough caskets, it is not only impossible to show reverence and care for each deceased person, but it is also harder to remember that they were individual people. Evelyn notes that, as the wave of flu recedes and the death toll drops, it feels like they are returning to humanity. The chief indication is that people can once again interact with care and not fear. In this way, care becomes a compass: The presence or absence of it marks whether the world is descending into chaos or finding its way back to order.

Care for others is the defining aspect of the Bright family and what helps them survive their troubles. Thomas cares for his children and his business after losing his wife and his uncle Fred. Evelyn wants to heal others with her medical knowledge. Maggie cares for the deceased in the ways that her mother did, helping families through this last parting. While Willa doesn’t phrase it as care, her wish to give her listeners images of innocence, peace, and beauty through her singing is another way to help them remember what is beautiful and precious about life. Even Maggie’s decision to keep Alex rather than report his origins stems from a deeply human impulse: the desire to love something fragile in a world full of loss. Humanity is defined not by power over another but by care for another, and those bonds, the novel shows, add value and meaning to life.