Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin - Sian
I just about had a HEART ATTACK when I saw this book under "New for July" with our wholesaler. Gabrielle Zevin has written two other notable (for me) books. The first, "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac:" my first YA, and a total overhaul of my ideas of what love meant, and the importance of personal identity. The second, "Elsewhere:" a story of a sixteen-year-old girl in the afterlife. She completely re-established what kind of stories I wanted to read, and later, write.
Well, she just went and snuck up on me with this new title, "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow." Frankly, I wouldn't have given a damn what this book was about: I simply had to read it!
Sam and Sadie meet as children in a hospital ward: Sam is there after a near-fatal accident, and Sadie is visiting her sister, who is going through cancer treatment. They immediately bond over the videogames in the rec room, and they are each other's first friend. They lose touch, and later meet again by chance in Boston, and set out on a real-life quest: to design and produce a videogame of their own.
With Sam's roommate, Marx as their producer, things escalate quickly. It's the late 90s, and they have talent beyond what the technology of their time can offer. When their first game goes live, their lives change forever. Including the relationships between these three creatives.
Frankly, I wish I'd written this book. Its style is incredible, with techniques and forms that I've never even considered before! It's exciting, it's lyrical, it's playful, and it's daring. At times, you, the reader are the protagonist. At times, we are in a video game ourselves. At times, the timeline is a stunning mess! Somehow, the book reads like you're playing a game. There are resets, and there's tactics, and there's tragedy that leads to greater quests down the line. It's so moving, and it makes me wonder how Gabrielle Zevin wrote something so akin to a videogame narrative, without actually being a game designer herself?!
This story spans at least two decades, and the protagonists grow a lot during that time. We face grief, heartbreak, rejection, failure, declining health, and a whole lot more. It's a brutal life for these characters. There is that frightening - and inevitable - sense of time running away from you, not knowing how or when things changed. There is the frustration of habits rather than choices making those changes happen. For something so completely plot-driven, the characters' development is a joy and a nostalgic pain to watch.
Essentially, this is a fantastic book. One of my favourites for quite some time. It's pacey and exciting, but relaxing and simply, human. An outstanding addition to Gabrielle's list of works, and another to be added to my list of reasons to adore this author. Her mind is nothing short of shocking and brilliant. I highly recommend.
- Sian
