“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.”
― Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
The vibes
book / shoes / tumbler / necklace / tee / candle / hat / socks / earrings / headphones
The review
Sadie and Sam bonded as kids in a hospital gameroom, and when they reconnect in their junior year of college, they pick up right where they left off. Intrinsically linked, soulmates, kindred spirits. One’s gaming partner can be more intimate than a romantic one.
Sadie is studying game design, and she doesn’t want to build a video game with anyone other than Sam. The two create one, then another, and their careers take off. Through the highs and the lows, they build their games, their partnership, as close as it is, faces the challenges friendships always encounter — jealousy, differences of opinions, secrecy, heartbreak.
This beautifully written novel showcases such a pure friendship between Sadie and Sam, but also with Marx, and even the other elements that this book features — when work is your deepest passion, when you’re enduring a disability, when you lose a loved one, deep depression, looking different than everyone else. Gosh, it’s hard to pick what moved me most. (JK, I know what part I sobbed the hardest at.)
I’ve never really identified as a gamer, but, a child born in the ’90s, games were a huge part of my childhood. I played Oregon Trail on the first computer my family owned, Donkey Kong on the first Nintendo we got, Super Mario Bros. on the first laptop I got for high school— all of these games mentioned in the book were little ticks on my life’s timeline, and I never really sit and think about the impact games have on me. The tamagotchi I brought to summer camp, the secondhand gameboy I got from my brother, the RollerCoaster Tycoon I was obsessed with! Ah, it’s something millennials can all identify with.
But that’s not what I identified with most in this book. Gosh, I just loved these characters and how their stories were told. I think I could write forever about the brilliance of this book — the Shakespeare, the Japanese art (which is used in the cover design, another brilliant thing!!), the racism both Marx and Sam face, the depression and social anxiety Sadie suffers from, Sam’s disability.
Anyways, it’s amazing, no notes. I did listen to the audiobook, but I definitely preferred reading. The book has a nonlinear writing style, which I loved so much, but is kind of hard to follow on audio. It’s a well-produced audiobook, read by Jennifer Kim. It’s a little bit of a straight read narration style, which I don’t mind but could be a bit monotone for some listeners.
Note: I received a copy of the book for review purposes. This review and opinion is my own.
BookNerdalie 