Few books have a title as unique as Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Over the course of thirty years and across multiple states, the novel follows Sam Masur, a junior at the prestigious Harvard University. One day, Sam meets a girl on the platform of a subway called Sadie Green. The two initially pretend not to see each other, but they eventually form a bond and partnership which will catapult both of them into superstardom. But their success is undermined by human emotion, betrayal, and gross overambition.
In Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Zevin aimed to further explore how gaming "is a kind of storytelling." Zevin herself is an avid gamer and wanted to reflect her passion in the novel. Zevin also desired to tell the story of people who "create[d] experiences out of the stories and things that [humans] consume." And the story of Sam and Sadie is certainly that.
Zevin was also interested in telling two coming-of-age stories: the coming-of-age of Sadie and Sam and the coming-of-age of the gaming industry, which some had once considered to be not worth any time or respect.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is also reflective of shifting cultural trends in gaming throughout the 30 years the novel takes place over, as well as advancements in technology over the course of the same time period.
But Zevin's book is also rooted in history and the works of people like William Shakespeare and interestingly, Karl Marx, one of the originators of the idea for Communism. A deeply complex book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a meditation on video games, content, relationships, and perhaps most importantly, what it means to be human.
