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A review by amethysthunter
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
< spoiler> I'm unsure how to express how immersed I was in this story and how much I enjoyed sitting with Sam, Sadie, Marx, and all of the other characters. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it and it made me feel so deeply the entire range of human emotions which is my favorite type of story At once, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a tale of human relationships. How we as humans can love and hurt others and how even the closest relationships can be fragile and fraught with deep pain and anguish. At the same time, Zevin somehow manages to tackle many other themes including the nuances of Asian Americanness (with one character being Wasian and another being biethnically Asian) and the book also serves as a beautiful ode to video games and the escapism and sense of hope that they can give people.
Gabrielle Zevin is clearly a master of her craft and it only makes sense that this is her 10th book. I was overwhelmingly impressed by her prose and just the sheer complexity of the story as it shifts from different perspectives and timelines. Writing about video games allows her to build worlds within worlds that were all well thought out, complex, and equally fascinating.
My one major grievance would be the way that Marx's character developed, or rather the lack thereof. Marx was consistently described as abundantly good and a wonderful friend, which made Sam's general one sided disdain towards him feel unrealistic and unnecessarily cruel. The way Marx was killed also made him a martyr which I didn't really see a point for (but totally understand that this could just be my being blindsided and tired of the abundance of tragedy that the characters had already endured). In contrast, I personally really enjoyed how Sadie and Sam were both very morally gray realistic characters that at times made you feel conflicted.
Gabrielle Zevin is clearly a master of her craft and it only makes sense that this is her 10th book. I was overwhelmingly impressed by her prose and just the sheer complexity of the story as it shifts from different perspectives and timelines. Writing about video games allows her to build worlds within worlds that were all well thought out, complex, and equally fascinating.
My one major grievance would be the way that Marx's character developed, or rather the lack thereof. Marx was consistently described as abundantly good and a wonderful friend, which made Sam's general one sided disdain towards him feel unrealistic and unnecessarily cruel. The way Marx was killed also made him a martyr which I didn't really see a point for (but totally understand that this could just be my being blindsided and tired of the abundance of tragedy that the characters had already endured). In contrast, I personally really enjoyed how Sadie and Sam were both very morally gray realistic characters that at times made you feel conflicted.