Scan barcode
A review by thebluntbibliophile
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
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
I think this book shattered my heart in more ways, places and times than I knew possible.
None of the characters (besides Marx) were loveable to me, but that's actually part of the reason why this book is so good? There are no main characters who are over-powered and without flaws. All of them, even Marx my boy, have their quirks; their strengths and weaknesses. Each character feels so imperfectly human.
In a story that spans over decades, their relationships twist and turn accordingly. At no point are they stagnant, and the pacing of the novel shifts appropriately so as not to drag out needlessly. Above all, I love that there is no 'forgive and forget' denouement - Zevin seems to appreciate that a bridge takes a lot longer to build than to burn.
To be loved is to be changed.
Sometimes that change cannot be undone, like a piece of paper that has been written on, and scrunched up. You can flatten it out again, and try to scrub away the words, but it will never be wholly unmarked again. And that is alright.
This book says that it's okay to be changed, and to allow yourself to change. It speaks poignantly of maturity, emotionally and physically, and I don't think I could love a message more.
No, I don't agree with some of the characters' actions, and would probably take a different approach. But that's just it, we're all individual characters. Individual minds. Full of individual approaches and individual dreams and individual fears. The protagonists in Tomorrow can't rewind the clock like their in-game characters can, they can't cheat death. All they can do is try their best given their current hand. Just like us.
None of the characters (besides Marx) were loveable to me, but that's actually part of the reason why this book is so good? There are no main characters who are over-powered and without flaws. All of them, even Marx my boy, have their quirks; their strengths and weaknesses. Each character feels so imperfectly human.
In a story that spans over decades, their relationships twist and turn accordingly. At no point are they stagnant, and the pacing of the novel shifts appropriately so as not to drag out needlessly. Above all, I love that there is no 'forgive and forget' denouement - Zevin seems to appreciate that a bridge takes a lot longer to build than to burn.
To be loved is to be changed.
Sometimes that change cannot be undone, like a piece of paper that has been written on, and scrunched up. You can flatten it out again, and try to scrub away the words, but it will never be wholly unmarked again. And that is alright.
This book says that it's okay to be changed, and to allow yourself to change. It speaks poignantly of maturity, emotionally and physically, and I don't think I could love a message more.
No, I don't agree with some of the characters' actions, and would probably take a different approach. But that's just it, we're all individual characters. Individual minds. Full of individual approaches and individual dreams and individual fears. The protagonists in Tomorrow can't rewind the clock like their in-game characters can, they can't cheat death. All they can do is try their best given their current hand. Just like us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Chronic illness, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer