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shelfreflectionofficial's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“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.”
I’m not sure if I was excited to read this book— I think I was more curious. For some reason I was thinking it would be more sci-fi-ish like Ready Player One since it had to do with video game creation. It is definitely plain old fiction.
I didn’t hate it but it didn’t do much for me. It felt too slow-paced and a bit ‘extra.’ Zevin shoved every major or controversial topic possible into this book instead of just focusing on one or two.
The characters were meant to be flawed but it felt like their flaws overshadowed their strengths and did more to define and drive them. This made them somewhat unlikable and their growth was harder to detect.
The primary story line follows three friends over many years and places (Boston to LA to Tokyo) as they play video games together and then create them. The two main characters— Sam and Sadie— have a volatile friendship— cyclical love/hate relationship. The third character— Marx— acts as the neutralizer and stabilizer. We know personally how messy and complicated relationships are. But we also know that relationships are a mess worth making. It takes a lot for Sam and Sadie to become convinced of that, and there’s part of me that wonders if they ever got there in an altruistic way or not.
For example: Sadie has a perpetual chip on her shoulder and fluctuates between insecurity with her abilities, standing up for herself in work but not in her personal life. Sam is overly ambitious which blinds him to others’ needs and feelings. Marx is thoughtful and managerial but sexually promiscuous and you’re not really sure what he actually cares about.
I didn’t really like how Marx became a ‘glorified’ ‘saint-ed’ character by the end.
The secondary story line (at least in my opinion) was the relationship of the characters to the worlds they create. Gaming as a way of escaping the difficulties of life. Virtual worlds that help them grieve and deal with the brokenness of the real world. The ability to be different people with different skills. The opportunity to ‘start over’ or ‘re-do’ things until they get them right. As one of their games is titled ‘Our Infinite Lives’ or as the book is aptly titled- tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. We can live again better.
“He wanted to be Ichigo… He wanted to die a million deaths like Ichigo, and no matter what damage was inflicted on his body during the day, he’d wake up tomorrow, new and whole. He wanted Ichigo’s life, a lifetime of endless, immaculate tomorrows, free of mistakes and the evidence of having lived.”
But unfortunately, the worlds they create are not real. The characters do not exist. They must still live from day to day.
“In the end, all we can ever know is the game that was played, and in the only world that we know.”
As I said before, there is a hodge-podge of topics crammed into the lives of three people. Over the course of the book they experience/discuss: disability, depression, appropriation, racism, sexism, abortion, amputation, physical abuse, gay marriage and sexuality, death, friendship, grief, murder, gun violence, suicide, and probably something else I missed.
The characters are variations of Jewish, Korean, and Japanese and much of the race and appropriation revolve around these cultures.
I think the concoction of topics takes away from the readers’ relationship to the characters because it feels like each new issue is just another buzzword.
I think it would have been more effective to focus on friendship, forgiveness, and Sam’s disability in relationship to the virtual games. Maybe, too, the loss of a friend, but the more you add in the less important everything seems.
I thought it was interesting how they recognized their desire for an ‘other-world’ where everything is as it should be. People are whole. The earth is beautiful and free of violence (well… their games weren’t void of this) and hatred. They were searching for meaning, legacy, and an escape from a broken world.
I think I have the answer for them. The current death rate is 100%. There is no second chance or infinite life. But there is an afterlife. And it can be the perfection they seek. I think they are looking for the ultimate ‘save point.’ And that is Heaven. It’s real. And for all who trust in Jesus, it is what comes next. And it will be better than an video game world that can be created.
Zevin touches on the realities and results of sin (in not so specific terms). We can all relate to so many of the hardships and heartaches the characters face. We know that yearning for something more, something bigger, something outside of this earth. That is because God put eternity into our hearts. We know in our core, that this world is not our home. Maybe this book can be a catalyst for readers to acknowledge that desire and to seek real answers for it. Not in video games. But in the Bible and the person of Jesus who is in the business of redemption, forgiveness, and restoration.
Along the lines of the ‘escapist’ story line. I found myself pondering this outside of the spiritual realm I just mentioned. Just in terms of health, mental or physical, is it a good coping mechanism to escape into fantasy worlds? Both Sadie and Sam found it comforting in their various griefs. I understand the need and benefit of distractions every once and a while, but from what I know of gaming, it’s pretty addictive. It doesn’t seem healthy to always seek to escape from their problems instead of confronting them or working through them.
Isolation, as we see with Sadie, is not usually a beneficial choice. There is an element of community in virtual worlds but more and more studies are showing that it’s not a good replacement for face-to-face physical connection. We were made to connect with people. Experience the world together, physically, as ourselves. Empathy is often lost online and is an essential component to a healthy society.
Distractions help us grieve or deal with stress, but I think there have to be boundaries for it to be helpful and not harmful.
Another aspect of the gaming side of things is the idea of success. Sadie and Sam had differing views on what a successful game looked like:
“To oversimplify: For Sam greatness meant popular. For Sadie, art.”
I was realizing how much I don’t know about video games, especially PC games. I didn’t realize they incorporated such complex stories or that there was a way to dialogue within them. Reading this game made me have so many questions about how it works to code something that is so graphics and art-heavy. A complete video game really is a work of art.
I went on YouTube and watched a few videos of people playing popular games. I don’t think it’s a hobby I want to get into because I can see how it takes up so much of your time, but it was good to see for myself a piece of what this book was about and be able to appreciate the skill and talent and time that goes into something like that.
The Oregon Trail is a nostalgic piece of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I definitely remember the game and remember the dysentery! I couldn’t relate to a lot of the gaming aspects, but I played Oregon Trail, and mostly Super Nintendo games like Super Mario world, Donkey Kong Country, Top Gear, and PlayStation games like 2Xtreme & Crash Bandicoot Racing.
I really like that Zevin incorporated this because Sadie and Sam are pioneers themselves. They are creating new paths to unknown worlds. They are experiencing the ups and downs of the human experience and of going somewhere new and have to figure out how to survive and allow others to follow them.
Some reviewers talked about the pretentious vocabulary in this book. In some ways I would agree with them. I have a pretty big vocabulary and there were lots of words I didn’t know. I agree that I’m not sure it helped the book at all and didn’t necessarily fit the characters’ personalities, but I enjoy learning new words so it didn’t really bother me. In fact, here are some that I looked up:
- Grokking: understanding thoroughly
- Ouroboros: a snake or dragon eating its own tail
- Bloviating: to speak pompously
- Palimpsest: something that has a new layer, aspect, or appearance that builds on its past and allows us to see or perceive parts of this past
- Turpitude: vile or depraved act
- Jejune: immature and childish
First side note: I thought it was funny that the very first line of the acknowledgements says that there are no secret highways in LA which was going to be the very first thing I googled when I shut the book. So thank you Zevin, for answering that for me, even though I wish it weren’t true.
Second side note: If you’re interested in trying out the Magic Eye stuff, here’s a link to a Magic Eye book on Amazon!
Third side note: This is the second book I’ve read recently that referenced Necco Wafers. Is this something I should have known about slash eating??
Recommendation
This is a hard one to recommend. I don’t read a lot of straight fiction so the fact that this won best fiction is probably par for the course and I’m just not used to that style of writing and story-telling.
But because of the language, drug use, sexual content, the hot-topic potpourri, the length and slow-pace, and the unlikability of the characters, this book didn’t do much for me and I’m not sure it will for you either.
However, many people do love this book. I wonder if they’re gamers and the nostalgia and game content interests them.
I think people who like ‘sagas’ that explore a decades-long span of life for characters won’t be turned off by the length or pacing.
I guess I would read some other reviews if you’re still unsure if this one is for you. Personally, I feel like there are better books out there to spend your time on.
A couple other books that somewhat fit the idea of this book that I would recommend over this one would be:
Infinite by Brian Freeman
Play Dead by Ted Dekker
[Content Advisory: a lot of swearing; a paragraph on the c-word; a lot of drug use; some sexual content; a whole host of trigger issues as discussed in the review]
I’m not sure if I was excited to read this book— I think I was more curious. For some reason I was thinking it would be more sci-fi-ish like Ready Player One since it had to do with video game creation. It is definitely plain old fiction.
I didn’t hate it but it didn’t do much for me. It felt too slow-paced and a bit ‘extra.’ Zevin shoved every major or controversial topic possible into this book instead of just focusing on one or two.
The characters were meant to be flawed but it felt like their flaws overshadowed their strengths and did more to define and drive them. This made them somewhat unlikable and their growth was harder to detect.
The primary story line follows three friends over many years and places (Boston to LA to Tokyo) as they play video games together and then create them. The two main characters— Sam and Sadie— have a volatile friendship— cyclical love/hate relationship. The third character— Marx— acts as the neutralizer and stabilizer. We know personally how messy and complicated relationships are. But we also know that relationships are a mess worth making. It takes a lot for Sam and Sadie to become convinced of that, and there’s part of me that wonders if they ever got there in an altruistic way or not.
For example: Sadie has a perpetual chip on her shoulder and fluctuates between insecurity with her abilities, standing up for herself in work but not in her personal life. Sam is overly ambitious which blinds him to others’ needs and feelings. Marx is thoughtful and managerial but sexually promiscuous and you’re not really sure what he actually cares about.
I didn’t really like how Marx became a ‘glorified’ ‘saint-ed’ character by the end.
The secondary story line (at least in my opinion) was the relationship of the characters to the worlds they create. Gaming as a way of escaping the difficulties of life. Virtual worlds that help them grieve and deal with the brokenness of the real world. The ability to be different people with different skills. The opportunity to ‘start over’ or ‘re-do’ things until they get them right. As one of their games is titled ‘Our Infinite Lives’ or as the book is aptly titled- tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. We can live again better.
“He wanted to be Ichigo… He wanted to die a million deaths like Ichigo, and no matter what damage was inflicted on his body during the day, he’d wake up tomorrow, new and whole. He wanted Ichigo’s life, a lifetime of endless, immaculate tomorrows, free of mistakes and the evidence of having lived.”
But unfortunately, the worlds they create are not real. The characters do not exist. They must still live from day to day.
“In the end, all we can ever know is the game that was played, and in the only world that we know.”
As I said before, there is a hodge-podge of topics crammed into the lives of three people. Over the course of the book they experience/discuss: disability, depression, appropriation, racism, sexism, abortion, amputation, physical abuse, gay marriage and sexuality, death, friendship, grief, murder, gun violence, suicide, and probably something else I missed.
The characters are variations of Jewish, Korean, and Japanese and much of the race and appropriation revolve around these cultures.
I think the concoction of topics takes away from the readers’ relationship to the characters because it feels like each new issue is just another buzzword.
I think it would have been more effective to focus on friendship, forgiveness, and Sam’s disability in relationship to the virtual games. Maybe, too, the loss of a friend, but the more you add in the less important everything seems.
I thought it was interesting how they recognized their desire for an ‘other-world’ where everything is as it should be. People are whole. The earth is beautiful and free of violence (well… their games weren’t void of this) and hatred. They were searching for meaning, legacy, and an escape from a broken world.
I think I have the answer for them. The current death rate is 100%. There is no second chance or infinite life. But there is an afterlife. And it can be the perfection they seek. I think they are looking for the ultimate ‘save point.’ And that is Heaven. It’s real. And for all who trust in Jesus, it is what comes next. And it will be better than an video game world that can be created.
Zevin touches on the realities and results of sin (in not so specific terms). We can all relate to so many of the hardships and heartaches the characters face. We know that yearning for something more, something bigger, something outside of this earth. That is because God put eternity into our hearts. We know in our core, that this world is not our home. Maybe this book can be a catalyst for readers to acknowledge that desire and to seek real answers for it. Not in video games. But in the Bible and the person of Jesus who is in the business of redemption, forgiveness, and restoration.
Along the lines of the ‘escapist’ story line. I found myself pondering this outside of the spiritual realm I just mentioned. Just in terms of health, mental or physical, is it a good coping mechanism to escape into fantasy worlds? Both Sadie and Sam found it comforting in their various griefs. I understand the need and benefit of distractions every once and a while, but from what I know of gaming, it’s pretty addictive. It doesn’t seem healthy to always seek to escape from their problems instead of confronting them or working through them.
Isolation, as we see with Sadie, is not usually a beneficial choice. There is an element of community in virtual worlds but more and more studies are showing that it’s not a good replacement for face-to-face physical connection. We were made to connect with people. Experience the world together, physically, as ourselves. Empathy is often lost online and is an essential component to a healthy society.
Distractions help us grieve or deal with stress, but I think there have to be boundaries for it to be helpful and not harmful.
Another aspect of the gaming side of things is the idea of success. Sadie and Sam had differing views on what a successful game looked like:
“To oversimplify: For Sam greatness meant popular. For Sadie, art.”
I was realizing how much I don’t know about video games, especially PC games. I didn’t realize they incorporated such complex stories or that there was a way to dialogue within them. Reading this game made me have so many questions about how it works to code something that is so graphics and art-heavy. A complete video game really is a work of art.
I went on YouTube and watched a few videos of people playing popular games. I don’t think it’s a hobby I want to get into because I can see how it takes up so much of your time, but it was good to see for myself a piece of what this book was about and be able to appreciate the skill and talent and time that goes into something like that.
The Oregon Trail is a nostalgic piece of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I definitely remember the game and remember the dysentery! I couldn’t relate to a lot of the gaming aspects, but I played Oregon Trail, and mostly Super Nintendo games like Super Mario world, Donkey Kong Country, Top Gear, and PlayStation games like 2Xtreme & Crash Bandicoot Racing.
I really like that Zevin incorporated this because Sadie and Sam are pioneers themselves. They are creating new paths to unknown worlds. They are experiencing the ups and downs of the human experience and of going somewhere new and have to figure out how to survive and allow others to follow them.
Some reviewers talked about the pretentious vocabulary in this book. In some ways I would agree with them. I have a pretty big vocabulary and there were lots of words I didn’t know. I agree that I’m not sure it helped the book at all and didn’t necessarily fit the characters’ personalities, but I enjoy learning new words so it didn’t really bother me. In fact, here are some that I looked up:
- Grokking: understanding thoroughly
- Ouroboros: a snake or dragon eating its own tail
- Bloviating: to speak pompously
- Palimpsest: something that has a new layer, aspect, or appearance that builds on its past and allows us to see or perceive parts of this past
- Turpitude: vile or depraved act
- Jejune: immature and childish
First side note: I thought it was funny that the very first line of the acknowledgements says that there are no secret highways in LA which was going to be the very first thing I googled when I shut the book. So thank you Zevin, for answering that for me, even though I wish it weren’t true.
Second side note: If you’re interested in trying out the Magic Eye stuff, here’s a link to a Magic Eye book on Amazon!
Third side note: This is the second book I’ve read recently that referenced Necco Wafers. Is this something I should have known about slash eating??
Recommendation
This is a hard one to recommend. I don’t read a lot of straight fiction so the fact that this won best fiction is probably par for the course and I’m just not used to that style of writing and story-telling.
But because of the language, drug use, sexual content, the hot-topic potpourri, the length and slow-pace, and the unlikability of the characters, this book didn’t do much for me and I’m not sure it will for you either.
However, many people do love this book. I wonder if they’re gamers and the nostalgia and game content interests them.
I think people who like ‘sagas’ that explore a decades-long span of life for characters won’t be turned off by the length or pacing.
I guess I would read some other reviews if you’re still unsure if this one is for you. Personally, I feel like there are better books out there to spend your time on.
A couple other books that somewhat fit the idea of this book that I would recommend over this one would be:
Infinite by Brian Freeman
Play Dead by Ted Dekker
[Content Advisory: a lot of swearing; a paragraph on the c-word; a lot of drug use; some sexual content; a whole host of trigger issues as discussed in the review]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Drug use, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Abortion, Alcohol, Gore, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Death, and Gun violence
alyxampersand's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was one of the best books I've read in the last five years. The characters are so complex and real and relatable, and it was so easy to pick up and put down for the busy reader. I appreciated the short sections of the book and felt that it was always easy to find a place to stop, then it was easy to dive back in
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Cancer, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Alcohol
samcanuel's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book was certainly worth the hype. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is such a beautiful book. It covers such a wide range of themes and topics that I’m honestly not even sure what to say. The characters all felt incredibly real and Gabrielle Zevin did such a fantastic job delivering the complexities of their relationships with one another. I would recommend this book to people who love games, people who feel their ambitions are outrunning them, and people who love their friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Mass/school shootings, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Cursing
Moderate: Xenophobia, Abortion, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual content, and Racism
xwiththevex's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, Death, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, and Chronic illness
Minor: Eating disorder, Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Homophobia
Although there's a lot of content warning for this book, I believe it all to be to the benefit of the book to so capably handle difficult topics without coming across as indulgent or excessive.julianna_s_johnson's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most...interesting books I've read recently. It's a very slow book, for starters, although because of the telling of a 20-year-spanning story, I feel this book is best read over a while; one needs to give it time. This didn't have many twists that seemed unrealistic; although things happen that you don't expect, it's all very grounded in reality. It's a very realistic book, all of the characters have immense depth and every decision seems to be made by the character, and not to further the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Gun violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Eating disorder
mothreadsbookssometimes's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
So much of the plot of this book revolves around betrayal… but there are no stakes for the betrayal. Every conflict arises from a miscommunication that could’ve easily been solved had the characters just talked to each other.
So many backstory scenes revolved around trauma that I found triggering more than anything. Instead of making me sympathize with the characters, I only felt disturbed by the vivid imagery.
The pacing of the story is strange. The author writes long paragraphs about minute character details, but glosses over major events (see: Dov and Sadie’s toxic relationship) in a matter of pages.
I couldn’t relate to the characters. I don’t know why, but I felt no emotional connections to them, and even in their darkest moments (which normally is the part that my hyper-empathetic self gets hooked on), I didn't feel invested in the story.
So many backstory scenes revolved around trauma that I found triggering more than anything. Instead of making me sympathize with the characters, I only felt disturbed by the vivid imagery.
The pacing of the story is strange. The author writes long paragraphs about minute character details, but glosses over major events (see: Dov and Sadie’s toxic relationship) in a matter of pages.
I couldn’t relate to the characters. I don’t know why, but I felt no emotional connections to them, and even in their darkest moments (which normally is the part that my hyper-empathetic self gets hooked on), I didn't feel invested in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Homophobia, and Suicide
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Abortion, and Antisemitism
hannah_mariee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Chronic illness, Cancer, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Animal death, Cursing, Blood, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
corriejn's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Vomit
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
*books that make you go play Oregon Trail* I don't even know where to begin. The characters just feel so REAL, they're messy and selfish and young and reckless and care for one another so deeply. Somehow Zevin took stubborn, uncommunicative characters and made me not want to DNF for miscommunication issues, but instead I really felt for them and what they felt like they couldn't share which in turn made them resentful and just wow. The story really puts you through your 20s and how stupid it can be, but also puts in some harsh realities that can just turn your world upside down. No need to be a gamer to really love this book, because what are games if not more storytelling. Might come back and change this to 5-stars, depending on how it sticks with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol, Medical content, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs, Abortion, and Sexual content
sylvestra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Pregnancy, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Gun violence, Hate crime, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cancer, Classism, Eating disorder, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, and Antisemitism