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A review by onebook_more
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow after it received a glowing recommendation by John Green. The story centres around Sam and Sadie, who meet in childhood and bond over a love of games but lose touch after a perceived betrayal. They reconnect in college and the bulk of the plot follows them as they break into the gaming industry and we witness their complex relationship and how it evolves over time.
I will say, I am not the target audience for this book. I have never completed a video game, and gaming culture means very little to me. Many reviews claimed that interest in gaming is not necessary to enjoy this book but I would say it definitely wouldn't hurt. I very much enjoyed the writing, it was clever and thoughtful. Overall the plot was enjoyable and well structured with a satisfying conclusion. My only gripe with the writing is that the pace was a little slow for me, perhaps because I was not interested in the concept.
Most of the characters were excellent and managed to be complex and multidimensional while also having redeeming qualities. Where I struggled most with this book was the character of Sam. I find it very difficult to enjoy books with protagonists who are simply unlikeable and that was how I felt about this character. While I appreciated the inclusion of a character who deals with chronic pain, grief childhood illness and felt this was handled well, I felt as if we were supposed to excuse his horrible behaviour because of these issues. I will admit, that there was definite character growth in the latter quarter of the book but by that point, I had already lost interest.
Overall, I would recommend this book mostly to people who either have an interest in gaming/the games industry or enjoy books that centre on complex and/or difficult characters. There are also some quite sensitive themes covered (listed in the content warning below) so I would enter in with an awareness of those,
I will say, I am not the target audience for this book. I have never completed a video game, and gaming culture means very little to me. Many reviews claimed that interest in gaming is not necessary to enjoy this book but I would say it definitely wouldn't hurt. I very much enjoyed the writing, it was clever and thoughtful. Overall the plot was enjoyable and well structured with a satisfying conclusion. My only gripe with the writing is that the pace was a little slow for me, perhaps because I was not interested in the concept.
Most of the characters were excellent and managed to be complex and multidimensional while also having redeeming qualities. Where I struggled most with this book was the character of Sam. I find it very difficult to enjoy books with protagonists who are simply unlikeable and that was how I felt about this character. While I appreciated the inclusion of a character who deals with chronic pain, grief childhood illness and felt this was handled well, I felt as if we were supposed to excuse his horrible behaviour because of these issues. I will admit, that there was definite character growth in the latter quarter of the book but by that point, I had already lost interest.
Overall, I would recommend this book mostly to people who either have an interest in gaming/the games industry or enjoy books that centre on complex and/or difficult characters. There are also some quite sensitive themes covered (listed in the content warning below) so I would enter in with an awareness of those,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicide, Chronic illness, and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, and Racism
Minor: Abortion