Why do you see right through me: TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I know I cannot add anything that hasn't already been said about this book, which seemed to blow up on release. I was so intrigued to see what the fuss was all about. It's an amazingly well-written story about some often very unlikable characters. When Sam Mazur, a Harvard student, gets off a Subway car, he sees a long lost acquaintance, Sadie Green, and feels compelled to call her name. Sadie, who goes to nearby MIT, almost ignores him, but then she turns, and the rest is history. The two, with the help of Sam's roommate Mazur, soon create a legendary video game that catapults them into fame, a lifelong business association, and a very tight personal connection.

TOMORROW is told through series of chapters grouped in titled sections and while it moves chronologically through Sam and Sadie's life, with each of them contributing their thoughts via third person point of view, it often veers back into the past, so we learn their history together. It's a complicated tale, spanning a large swath of their lives and relationship (strictly platonic, they are quick to point out). With the two making video games, the book makes sweeping and intelligent points about the similarities of video games and real life (and the differences), what creating a virtual world can mean--and how it can affect those who live in the real world, and how video games may be the same or different from other forms of art.

I won't lie, it's a "smarter" book than I often read, and I'm sure many of the points sailed right over my head. The writing is beautiful, and the characters are often unlikable because they are freaking real people with flaws and tics and issues, standing out brilliantly on the page in full dimension, versus cookie character people half created to fill out the story. A few things that happen feel violent and raw because I came to care for everyone so deeply--always my sign of a truly good book. And while there is romance in this story, I love the theme and idea that the main characters aren't in love and are tied together by forces almost bigger than romantic love.

Overall, this is a different book. I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone. I don't really play video or computer games, and there is truly a lot of gaming talk in this story. But it's a really fascinating character exploration, too, and I'm really grateful for my #backlistbooks23 challenge for getting me to pick it up. 4.5 stars.

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