By Gabrielle Zevin (Amazon's #1 Book of 2022) ★★★★★
Sam Masur is in the midst of his junior year at Harvard when he sees a blast from the past, his childhood friend Sadie Green. Sam and Sadie were inseparable for a period of time when they were young, before they had a falling out. They’d still cross paths occasionally, but it was always just in passing, and by the time Sam sees Sadie, it’s been years since they’ve talked.
“Sadie! SADIE! SADIE MIRANDA GREEN! YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY!”
That gets her attention (and the attention of any reader who played The Oregon Trail growing up). During the course of their back-and-forth banter in the subway, the foundation for the remainder of the story is set. You get a glimpse into how they have a deep connection, how they both care for each other, how Sam likely feels more of a romantic connection (and Sadie feels none), and how they are both, still, obsessed with video games (beyond the Oregon Trail reference). Before they part, Sadie gives Sam a copy of a game she created for a class. Sam takes the game home, waits to play it with his roommate Marx, and they collectively realize what Sam already suspected: Sadie is a genius when it comes to game design.
Thus begins, for the three of them, their journey as game designers, business partners, and the re-intertwining of their lives. The book is full of 80s nostalgia -- anyone who grew up playing the original Nintendo or PC games like King’s Quest or the aforementioned Oregon Trail will have plenty of opportunities to travel down memory lane. It’s also an interesting and unique backdrop for a story. Rarely, if ever, has the gaming community been at the forefront of a mainstream novel, and it turns out to be smart in several ways. What goes into creating an entire video game world and developing a compelling character? How do changes in someone’s personal life affect that design process? Zevin continues to mix the two -- the lives of the main characters and the video game worlds they create -- to help enhance the depth of the novel’s characters to great effect.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was Amazon’s Book of the Year, and it’s an award with which I have no complaints. Zevin manages to cover 30+ years of the lives of her characters in a way that feels equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching, yet wholly real. It’s a worthwhile read.
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