Something Out There in the Distance

Two lovers go on one final road trip through the American desert, hoping that they can outrun life itself.

Flash-fiction master Grant Faulkner and photographer Gail Butensky have partnered to create this unique narrative made up of stories alongside edge-of-the-world photography. The book tells of two lovers taking a reckless, searching road trip through the American West. Dawn is a photographer who captures desert landscapes. Jonny drives just to drive, running away from the end of time or running toward the end of time, looking for a home even as his restlessness overtakes him. By turns funny, poignant, and heartbreaking, something out there in the distance is big in emotions while brief in words. An extraordinary collaboration between word and image, Dawn and Jonny’s journey transports us to a place, achingly familiar, populated by love, loss, and wonder.

Author: Grant Faulkner
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Unm Press
Published: 01/13/2026
Pages: 98
ISBN: 9780826368584
Language: English