Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: For the Love of Games

Posted On April 21, 2023

Hi Readers! I finally read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow! I had wanted to read it for a few months but ironically I kept saying tomorrow to the book too. But now that I finally read it, I loved it! I will probably read Gabrielle Zevin’s ‘The Storied Life of A.J Fikry.

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

In this exhilarating novel, two friends–often in love, but never lovers–come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating colege, they have created their first blockbuster, lchigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

~~THOUGHTS~~

I’m not a gamer. Unless you count all those hours during summer vacations playing Super Mario Bros with my bros competing all the way. Unless you count those many different card games giving you unadulterated joy of plain victories. Unless you count Name, Place, Animal, Thing played with your closest family giving you hours of laughter. But if you’re talking about hardcore gaming? I know nothing. And yet, I absolutely enjoyed reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

~~CHARACTERS & STORY~~

I loved the main characters; Sam, Sadie and Marx. Hated Dov. Adored Bong Cha and Dong Hyun. All of them were sketched so wonderfully and realistically in a morally grey mould. We have Sam, who has had an inferiority complex his whole life because of his foot. We have Sadie whose character arc is sweet. Young Sadie goes after what she wants and doesn’t mind using people for her own gain. But later she becomes a resilient and empathetic person. We have Marx who becomes a brother to Sam and their trio is love. I loved how Sam and Sadie always find their way back to each other. Throughout the book, we see different faces on them. Some happy. Some happy. Some angry. Some hurt. And so much more!

The story is just as much delightful as the characters, if not more. I have never read a book like this. It’s so unique in its story telling that you never know that it spans about 30 years. Especially the fluidity in writing between those years and between major instances is simply masterful. Be it the childhood story of how Sam and Sadie first meet. Or the time of their second first meet at the train station. With a really intriguing start, I was reading the book nonstop, but it became slightly underwhelming in the last half.

~~WHAT I LOVED~~

This writing really made me remind of a blend between Taylor Jenkins Reid, Fredrick Backman and John Green. One of the best things about this book was it was a delectable read even for non-gamers and non-engineers. Sure, there is talk of code and technical aspects but they’re written in a way that anyone will be able to understand. Not many authors are able to do that.

The book is also so much about passion. The whole philosophy of if you love what you do, you’ll never have to work in your life. That vibe was ever present throughout this novel. It gave the whole story an energetic, passionate and lovely background theme.

Another amazing thing is representation! Asian characters, Person with Disability, gay video game makers. Love to see it!

Lastly, this is a book and the book is about video games. These two are the most common hobbies for people. And for some, the thing they can escape to. So, I loved how reading and playing was integrated to send that relatable message to its audience. I have rated Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin at 4.5/5 stars!

Until next time,