Name: Anthony Teo's review of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Item: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Rating: 4
Author: Anthony Teo

Gabrielle Zevin

"A modern love story about two childhood friends, Sam, raised by an actress mother in LA's Koreatown, and Sadie, from the wealthy Jewish enclave of Beverly Hills, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives, from the New York Times best-selling author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry"--

A Novel

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

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 college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. 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.

Maria Buitrago

Computers are great for experimentation, but they're bad for deep thinking.

To design a game is to imagine the person who will eventually play it.

To allow yourself to play with another person is no small risk. It means allowing yourself to be open, to be exposed, to be hurt. It is the human equivalent of the dog rolling on its back— 

I know you won't hurt me, even though you can

. It is the dog putting its mouth around your hand and never biting down. To play requires trust and love.

"But it is worth noting that to be good at something is not quite the same as loving it."

"How many times can you look at something and know that everyone around you is seeing the same thing or at the very least that their brains and eyes are responding to the same phenomenon? How much proof do you ever have that we're all in the same world."

Steph Lodico

“They die all the time, actually. It doesn’t mean the same thing.”

There is no purity to bearing pain alone.

How much of your life had been happenstance? How much of your life had been a roll of the big polyhedral die in the sky? But then, weren't all lives that way? Who could say, in the end, that they had chosen any of it?

The way to turn an ex-lover into a friend is to never stop loving them, to know that when one phase of a relationship ends it can transform into something else. It is to acknowledge that love is both a constant and a variable at the same time.

Vera Heilig

There is a time for any fledgling artist where one's taste exceeds one's abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway. 

Jean Catolico

“This life is filled with inescapable moral compromises. We should do what we can to avoid the easy ones.”

“people who give you charity are never your friends. It is not possible to receive charity from a friend”

Eneko Uruñuela

"Come on, Sadie. There'll always be another class. How many times can you look at something and know that very- one around you is seeing the same thing or at the very least that their brains and eyes are responding to the same phenomenon? How much proof do you ever have that we're all in the same world?"

they were talking about a dog and it actually explained the trust between human and dogs and i love it

“I know you won’t hurt me, even though you can.”

“To allow yourself to play with another person is no small risk. It means allowing yourself to be open, to be exposed, to be hurt.”

Iris van der zanden

No, that came out wrong. What you meant to express was the existential grief that comes with the knowledge that all things die. You are not dying, except insofar as you have always been dying.

Throughout his life, Sam had hated being told to "fight", as if sickness were a character failing. Ilness could not be defeated no matter how hard you fought, and pain, once it had you in its grasp, was transformational. 

“to be good at something is not quite the same as loving it”

SO CUTE i think this is what it means to have a childhood ? 😭

“I’m always seeing the world with magic eyes,” he said. “I’m exploding with childish wonder.”

In the midst of the crowd, I don’t see nobody but you? 😭

“She scanned the crowd slowly and when she spotted Sam, the smile spread over her face like a time-lapse video he had once seen in a high school physics class of a rose in bloom.”

“Time was mathematically explicable; it was the heart—the part of the brain represented by the heart—that was the mystery.”

Marie

kelly

Sam used to say that Marx was the most fortunate person he had ever met—he was lucky with lovers, in business, in looks, in life. But the longer Sadie knew Marx, the more she thought Sam hadn't truly understood the nature of Marx's good fortune. Marx was fortunate because he saw everything as if it were a fortuitous bounty. It was impossible to know—were persimmons his favorite fruit, or had they just now become his favorite fruit because they were growing in his own backyard? He had certainly never mentioned persimmons before.

Anthony Teo

Katerina

This drew me in from the very first page. And it didn’t let go. 

A dear friend of mine recommended this to me, knowing full well how much I enjoy video games — the old and the new. But you don’t have to be a gamer to love this story. It’s a literary treasure and it would be a shame if it stayed only in the gaming circles. 

“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is a story about Sam and Sadie. Marx and Sadie. Marx and Sam. Sadie, Marx and Sam. It’s a story about love, but I think it’s a story about friendship above all else. Infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. Isn’t that what friendship is supposed to be in an ideal world? I guess it’s more like games in that sense. 

“What is a game?" Marx said. "It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever."

I don’t think I’ve even got the right words to express the love I have for this book. The heartbreak I suffered. It started out sweet and gentle. It ended up rough, and raw, and ruthless. Kind of like life in that regard. Kind of like people. 

The relationships in “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” were so complex. So true to our human nature. The game building was so immersive, so well-researched. The game art was so haunting, as if I saw it right in front of my eyes. The passage of time, of these characters’ lives was so painful. I think I saw some of Sally Rooney’s genius here — in the relationships, in the conversations, and in our inability to communicate when we are most vulnerable, too. The consequences of our actions. The consequences of not speaking up, not going after what we want. 

There is so much I took from this book. So much that touched my heart. 

Particularly, I loved Part IV, Both Sides. Gabrielle Zevin communicated so much through the meaning of games and through the meaning of games’ art. Part IV specifically was genius. The naming of the chapters, each having an A and B side that followed the protagonists separately. Sam and Sadie building two different worlds of the same game, while truly living, for the first time, completely different lives. The emotional distance between them. I think this is where my own heart started to shatter. Here Zevin included a comment about record vinyls’ side A and B, diving deep into an argument that McCartney and Lennon had about which song should make it to the A side, as all the hits were believed to be on the A side. I don't want to spoil but this had such great meaning later, when the game Sam and Sadie were making at the time, Both Sides, got released. There was so much genius in this part that I felt somewhat in awe by the author’s talent (How have I not heard of her before?). 

I thought it was so bold to write the way Gabrielle Zevin writes. She used different points of view — first-person, second-person, third-person… yes, all of these were used, transformed us to different worlds even — there is a part in the book where you’re in an actual game. It felt brilliant to me. 

I have so much more to write about this one. Perhaps I’ll edit this time and time again. Tomorrow and tomorrow. But I guess what I’m really trying to say is that this was an easy 5/5. You might get your heart broken along the way but it’s worth it in the end, stranger. 

My favourite quotes:


“We are all living, at most, half of a life, she thought. There was the life you lived, which consisted of the choices you made. And then, there was the other life, the one that was the things you hadn't chosen.” 


“This is what time travel is. It’s looking at a person, and seeing them in the present and the past, concurrently. And that mode of transport only worked with those one had known a significant time.” 


“There are no ghosts, but up here”—she gestured toward her head—“it’s a haunted house.”

the first book in a long time that I felt I didn’t want to reach the end 

Anna Lane

Mel 

This is what people mean when they talk about literature with a big "L". This isn't just a story about making a game, it's about love, friendship, growing up and existing. Done beautifully and heart-wrenching.

sharkie

Nice story. Was hard to find and connect to the theme of the story. Context clues littered throughout but seemed disjointed. Pretty cohesive overall despite my opinions.

Sarah Henry

Eva Ströberg

“Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever”
.
I’m torn between giving this book three or four stars. Three because of the friendship/love story that sounds very much like young adult genre to me (now that I’m in mid 40s, most romance / love story sounds like young adult stories with their problems, intrigues and despairs to me). Four because I like the video games reference. The story is set in late 90s, early 2000s and the characters : Sam and Sadie are probably at my age.
.
I remember how I liked to play DOS games and was awed by the graphics back then, and wonder how my life would have been if I had played more games, or like them, became game designers. I had that dream! I like all the video games references, talks and without getting too nerdy about it, I think it’s well written that way.
.
In the end, it’s three stars for me because the book seems flat and anti climatic in general, but nevertheless interesting and entertaining.

Rebecca Hurd

As much as I liked this book and it’s story/plot I just can not get passed how insufferable Sadie Green is throughout this entire book!! Marx is by far my favorite character and Sam is just to socially inept not to love. Sam had no real clue how to ask for help or explain to anyone why he was incapable of doing something. Sadie acted as though she truly knew who Sam was but when it really came down to it she was to selfish and insecure to really be the friend that Sam deserved!!

(3.5) First half was amazing and second half was meh.

Beautiful, tender. Easy to read. Any flaws are overcome by the sweet sadness of Sam and Sadie’s relationship and the book’s insights about love and work.

Spencer Tweedy

Kiran Aftab

This book was incredible. If you like videogames, this is the book for you. And even if you don’t, I feel like the author does an amazing job of writing about relationships. I feel so much nostalgia and I was tearing up so much while reading this. You won’t regret picking this up.

Chris Dailey

Page turner following the low stakes world of video game creation. Two life long frenemies develop and build a gaming empire over three decade while the encounter a series of life tragedies. While games are center stage, it's really about friendship, love, all types of pain, intelligence, expectations, disappointment and jealousy. Popcorn'esque readability that immerses you in the world for the short time you're reading it, I didn't find it had the staying power once it was put down but it was lovely ride while it lasted.

Princess Doe 

finished this in one day could not put it down - usually am not a fan of books about computer nerds (too real to my life) but wowowowow how captivating and beautiful and sad and amazing 

camille paradis

Jackie Lu

Ainsley Jeffery

intimate and intricate. Could not put it down and basically read in one sitting. Beautiful storytelling unlike anything I’ve read in a long time.

Patrick Book

A vital 4.5 stars. There are endless variations on the Great American Novel, and when it’s done this well it’s a treat.

James Wattie

It’s just so good. What a sprawling story with characters you fall for instantly. Couldn’t put it down.

Abbie Duggan

The story is incredible, improved upon by the tremendously gifted writing. Zevin’s ability to weave together multiple themes, span them across a novel—which itself spans multiple years, timelines, and character journeys—and still keep you surprised and emotionally connected to her characters is a thing of beauty. This book is one that has stayed with me and will remain on my favorites forever. Read this and take your time; art is found on every page: in the writing, within video games, and of course, in relationships between lovers and between friends.

Caroline Williams

This book is for the gamers, the loners, and the children at heart. For the kids who spent their nights tucked under the covers with their gameboys while the whole house slept, for the kids who spent their weekends racking up hours on their save files, and for the kids who loved stories you got to be a part of. This was made for us.

Hmm, okay. I think I should begin by saying that upon finishing the book, I was not really able to connect with the characters. I did like Marx but overall I think he could have had more depth in his character. 

Sam’s backstory narrative, I found to be good. Such a pity that we only had this in the first few parts of the book. For the rest of the story, Sam was such a bad friend and was an arrogant guy and despite his sad stories, it was really hard to justify how he acted.

Sadie was an okay-ish character. I feel like among them all, she was the most realistic and human; the way she was envious at times and felt like she didn’t get enough credit. I felt for her every time she had the tendency to seek constant affirmation especially from Dov and Sam. 

The ending was a bit meh. I felt like so many characters were thrown in, and for this type of story, I guess it would have worked better to focus more on the main characters’ progression. (Like we don’t get a lot of Marx’s backstory aside from the NPC chapter).

I did like the fact that we never got Sam x Sadie in the end. That would have been so ugly. 

It’s quite annoying that Sam and Sadie, whenever they get into a huge fight, fail to really talk about their problems. And that’s mainly because Sam failed to acknowledge his mistakes repeatedly. I genuinely wished that they wouldn’t be friends in the end (LOL).

It’s good but i don’t understand video games or gaming so i didn’t feel as if i could appreciate it fully

Erin 

Grace Edwards

Let the games begin! From the New York Times best-selling author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry--a glorious and immersive novel about two childhood friends, once estranged, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. 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. They borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo: a game where players can escape the confines of a body and the betrayals of a heart, and where death means nothing more than a chance to restart and play again. This is the story of the perfect worlds Sam and Sadie build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy. Spanning over 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, games as artform, technology and the human experience, 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.

Loved the arc and realness of the characters, in particular the villain

Steve C

Beautiful book! Took me awhile to get through but it tells the story of two best friends and everything they go through from childhood to adulthood!

Anthony Teo &
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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