philip and sahan both suffer from time-dilation, and sahan explains it as them basically seeing the future (earth 11 yrs later) and being unable to cope with it. as sahan says: "The Earth I remember ends eleven years in the past. So, simply by being in this space now, I’m already seeing the future.”
he also says that the reason ppl live is bc they dont know what will happen in the future, so they are optmistic and hope life will get better. however, the two of them technically are seeing the future (which is much different than what they expect), and are unable to change it.
philip's main motivation for making it back to earth was to protect logan, his nephew who he thought of as a son (the blonde guy at the end of the chapter). before leaving earth, when they lived together and logan was only 8, logan accidentally bumped into philip's shoulder while he was on his lap and spilled very hot tea on his face. bc philip didnt immediately rinse logan's face with cold water, logan ended up with half of his face permanently disfigured. even though logan had forgave him and said it was his own fault, philip blamed himself and vowed to protect him.
but when he returned to earth, logan was no longer a child who he had to protect, and was actually protecting him instead so he could survive. he never expected that this would be his future, and couldn't "accept this version of himself." also, when he was still at earth, logan was receiving treatments to hopefully lessen the scars on his face, giving philip hope that he could recover completely. but suddenly being thrust into a future 11 yrs later where logan's scars showed no signs of fading also took a toll on his mental health.
tldr: according to sahan, philip's death would have happened sooner or later bc his mental health (due to suddenly being in a future that he didn't expect) was very bad, and sahan not going to see him was just the final straw that led him to suicide.
philip and sahan both suffer from time-dilation, and sahan explains it as them basically seeing the future (earth 11 yrs later) and being unable to cope with it. as sahan says: "The Earth I remember ends eleven years in the past. So, simply by being in this space now, I’m already seeing the future.”
he also says that the reason ppl live is bc they dont know what will happen in the future, so they are optmistic and hope life will get better. however, the two of them technically are seeing the future (which is much different than what they expect), and are unable to change it.
philip's main motivation for making it back to earth was to protect logan, his nephew who he thought of as a son (the blonde guy at the end of the chapter). before leaving earth, when they lived together and logan was only 8, logan accidentally bumped into philip's shoulder while he was on his lap and spilled very hot tea on his face. bc philip didnt immediately rinse logan's face with cold water, logan ended up with half of his face permanently disfigured. even though logan had forgave him and said it was his own fault, philip blamed himself and vowed to protect him.
but when he returned to earth, logan was no longer a child who he had to protect, and was actually protecting him instead so he could survive. he never expected that this would be his future, and couldn't "accept this version of himself." also, when he was still at earth, logan was receiving treatments to hopefully lessen the scars on his face, giving philip hope that he could recover completely. but suddenly being thrust into a future 11 yrs later where logan's scars showed no signs of fading also took a toll on his mental health.
tldr: according to sahan, philip's death would have happened sooner or later bc his mental health (due to suddenly being in a future that he didn't expect) was very bad, and sahan not going to see him was just the final straw that led him to suicide.
(this is all from chapter 6 in the novel!!)