A review by ashtheaudiomancer
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Throughout my reading of this book, I keep yelling out things like, "What??" "WHY!?" "Not in 1996, you can't," "That is not what 'heterochromia' means," and mostly "GOD these PEOPLE!"

I hated this. It was entertaining to some degree, but I have no patience left in me for these kinds of characters. We have 1) a self-pitying manipulative jerk who is supposed to be brilliant and very precise with language, but doesn't know what 'heterochromia' means, 2) a self-pitying manipulative jerk who keeps crawling back to her abuser over and over, 3) said abuser, who takes advantage of his students, and does not at any point either atone for his actions or get a bus dropped on him by the narrative, and 4) the only actual good character who DOES get a bus dropped on him by the narrative. This is one of those "If any of you actually, like TALKED to each other, this conflict would totally evaporate" types of stories that I can't stand. (And I'm pretty sure taking credit for introducing the first same-sex marriage in a videogame would really piss off whatever developer *actually* did that.)

"Then why did you finish it?"

Someone else chose this book for my library book club, and from what I gather I was not the only one who had this reaction to it, so at least it'll be an interesting discussion.
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