Surprisingly wholesome despite the, y'know, apocalypse. Birch is a very interesting character, as someone who's a stickler for morality and fitness and all that jazz. He doesn't do it in a dickish way though. It's all rather sweet, even if it's obviously just a veneer of normalcy covering the post-end-times blues. The dialogue between the two characters is charming as hell, too. It leads to this bizarre mix of simultaneously positive and negative emotions, neither overcoming the other. Despite everything, their life is mundane, with a lot of ordinary things happening. Exercising, pasta, and the radio. It's a cozy and interesting read. Well, at first. Of course, things begin to fall apart. Slowly at first, but then spectacularly. Birch gets overwhelmed with such raw emotions, he can't seem to process it. It's difficult to watch, but painfully realistic. This isn't the kind of situation where bad thoughts are waved away with love and hope and hugs. Yet, the ending was... somewhat sweet? It's tragic, of course, but it really brings to mind... what else is there to do at the end, anyways? A brilliant read, well done.