Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A novel

it was interesting to immerse myself in the gaming world--something I knew nothing about.

“What is a game?...It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent ever…What, after all, is a video game’s subtextual preoccupation if not the erasure of mortality...a lifetime of endless, immaculate tomorrows, free of mistakes and the evidence of having lived…The best you can wish for anyone…is a video game death. Which is to say, spectacular and brief…Short, sweet, with the possibility of imminent resurrection.” “You are a gaming person, which is to say you are the kind of person who believes that ‘game over’ is a construction. The game is only over if you stop playing. There is always one more life.” However, “You aren’t just a gamer when you play anymore. You’re a builder of worlds, and if you’re a builder of worlds, your feelings are not as important as what your gamers are feeling. You must imagine them at all times. There is no artist more empathetic than the game designer…To build a world for someone seems a romantic thing from where I stand.” “To allow yourself to play with another person is no small risk. It means allowing yourself to be open, to be exposed, to be hurt. It is the equivalent of the dog rolling on its back–I know you won’t hurt me, even though you can…And what is love, in the end…Except the irrational desire to put evolutionary competitiveness aside in order to ease someone else’s journey through life?...And what is the point of having your own world if it can’t right a few injustices of the real one?...I believe that virtual worlds can help people solve problems in the real one.” The cover art of Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow echoes of The Great Wave, arguably the most famous Japanese artwork in the world, that “depicts an enormous wave that dwarfs the other elements in the frame…the style is clean and graphic, befitting the fact that it was designed to be carved into a cherrywood block and infinitely reproduced…I’m going to play until the end of this life. That’s a good philosophy.”

To everyone who loved this book, sorry, it just didn't do it for me. I liked it, but I did not love it. I became annoyed with some of the characters who were so bratty that I wondered if I was going to make it to the end or end up adding it to my dnf list. I tried to like the characters and I did like the diverse cast of characters. I liked that the story was set within the gaming industry so it was moderately interesting at times, and the audiobook version was a good production that was easy to listen to in just about any setting.

I didn't hate this book but I can honestly say I was a bit disappointed after finishing it today. I may have set the bar too high after all of the hype so I'm giving it three stars because there were parts I enjoyed, it was an easy read, and an extra star because the audiobook was pretty good.

Heart wrenching had me addicted

I absolutely LOVED this book! At its core, it’s about the evolution of close friendships—how complex and multifaceted they can be and how they change over time. If you like neurodivergent characters, witty banter, and/or are into video games, you should give it a try.