Gaming Life's Infinite Levels
A Deep Dive into Gabrielle Zevin’s “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow"
By Guest Contributing Writer Marc S. Friedman
Entertaining. Transcendent. Endearing.
These words describe a wonderfully inventive novel, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin, a truly gifted writer.
Zevin’s book is a deeply layered novel that explores creativity, friendship, and the passage of time, set within the world of video game design.
The story’s two primary characters, Sam Masur and Sadie Green, have a shared love for gaming that rekindles their childhood friendship.
It’s a bond that leads them to collaborate on a video game, which becomes an unexpected success, thrusting them into the world of game development and prompting the formation of their company, Unfair Games. Over the course of several decades, the narrative captures the ebb and flow of their personal and professional lives.
Zevin skillfully uses video games as a metaphor for life itself. The games Sam and Sadie create serve as reflections of their own experiences and struggles, with each game mirroring the complexities of their evolving relationship.
Their first game, Ichigo, symbolizes the initial success of their partnership, while subsequent projects reveal the growing tensions and challenges they face both as individuals and collaborators.
Throughout the book Sam and Sadie are portrayed with depth and realism. Sam, having lost a foot in a car accident, grapples with his insecurities and the trauma of his past. His journey is one of resilience, as he contends with his limitations and the expectations placed upon him as a gaming genius.
To me, Sam is deeply inspiring. Sadie, meanwhile, navigates the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Her brilliance often goes unrecognized due to sexism and bias, yet she remains driven by a desire to create something meaningful.
The relationship and, indeed, love between Sam and Sadie are central to the novel, marked by deep connection, painful conflict, and unspoken emotions. I found this bond between two young and brilliant artists, each with their own baggage, to be fascinating.
The novel also introduces Marx Watanabe, their friend and business partner, who brings balance and perspective to their lives. Marx’s tragic fate serves as a turning point in the story, forcing Sam and Sadie to confront their vulnerabilities and the fragility of life.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is rich in story plots that resonated with me on multiple levels. One central theme is the idea of creation as a form of immortality. Through their games, Sam and Sadie create worlds that outlive them, reflecting the novel’s title, which is drawn from Shakespeare’s Macbeth—a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the desire to leave a legacy.
This had special meaning for me because as I approach my 80’s, I think a great deal about the legacy that I will leave after my death.
The novel also delves into the theme of time, both in the context of the characters’ lives and the games they create. In video games, time can be manipulated, reset, and replayed, offering a stark contrast to the irreversible flow of time in real life. This contrast poignantly reflects the characters’ regrets, missed opportunities, and irreversible choices.
Another significant theme is the complexity of human relationships. Sam and Sadie’s friendship is central to the story but is far from simple. Their bond is both beautiful and tragic.
Zevin brilliantly captures the nuances of their relationship, illustrating how creativity can unite and divide, and how time can deepen or erode connections.
As a lawyer who represented many tech startups, I appreciate Zevin’s drawing the reader into the world of tech startups, exploring the relationships between entrepreneurs and designers, and what it takes to succeed in the competitive gaming industry.
Being of an older generation, I am completely unfamiliar with gaming. The last video games I played were “Space Invaders” and “Pac-Man” more than 50 years ago. Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow introduced me to the fascinating intricacies of contemporary video game design, production, and marketing.
It also touches on the concept of the "metaverse” that was unfamiliar to me, illustrating how, for some, the “metaverse” represents an alternate reality. I was captivated as I read this, probably because my undergraduate degree was in philosophy.
Zevin’s writing is both lyrical and precise, capturing the intricacies of the characters’ inner worlds and the detailed process of game development. The novel’s non-linear structure, with shifts in time and perspective, mirrors the fragmented nature of memories and experiences, allowing the reader to piece together the story organically.
The dialogue is sharp and authentic, revealing the characters’ personalities and the dynamics of their relationships. Zevin’s use of gaming language enriches the narrative, drawing parallels between the mechanics of game design and the complexities of life.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel that transcends its setting in the world of video games to explore universal themes of love, loss, and the passage of time.
The author has crafted a story that is both intimate and expansive, with characters who are as memorable as the worlds they create. In the end, I found it to be a profound commentary on the power of creativity, the fragility of human connections, and the ways in which we seek to leave our mark on the world.
Reviewer Bio
For five decades Mr. Friedman practiced technology law. He was the President of the International Technology Law Association. Mr. Friedman graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a B.A degree in Philosophy and The George Washington University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree, with Honors.
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Thanks, Doc. It is a fascinating book. Since you are a horse mama, read this
https://open.substack.com/pub/marcfriedmanesq/p/theres-something-about-the-outside?r=tq8hk&utm_medium=ios
Great review! This is on my reading list and I’m now more excited to read it! In light of the discussion around AI, I think it’s helpful to look towards fiction. I recently rewatched War Games and it was both prescient and naive. Great post!