Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

The book’s title comes from a famous soliloquy in Macbeth.  

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, 
To the last syllable of recorded time”  

Why do you think Zevin chose this quote for her title?  How does it tie into the themes of the novel?

Sam grows up poor, loses his mother young and has ongoing trouble with his leg after his car accident.  Sadie grows up comfortably in a rich family.  How do their different upbringings affect how Sam and Sadie see the world?

All of the main characters are in some way shaped by their “otherness” - Marx as an Asian American, Sam as a half Asian with a disability, and Sadie as a woman in a male-dominated industry.  Discuss the challenges that each face and how they are similar or different.  How do the obstacles they face shape the decisions they make?  How does it impact how they interact with each other?

Sam cannot tell Sadie that he loves her, while Sadie for a long time does not tell Sam why she is upset with him (and as a child does not tell him about her community service hours even though she knows she should).  Why do you think communicating how they really feel is so hard for them?  

Sadie wants to focus on art, while Sam is more commercially minded (though he also says that he wants to “make something that will make people happy (p. 70)”).  Who do you agree with more?

In a moment of anger, Sam chides Marx for being an NPC (non-player character), but Marx embraces this moniker.  Do you agree with Marx about the importance of background characters?  In what ways is Marx critical to the story?

Marx also embraces the moniker of “Tamer of Horses”.  What do you think he and the other characters mean by calling him that?

Do you think what Sam did at the end of the novel in creating Pioneers was creepy or loving? Was Sadie right to be upset with him?

What did you think about the writing in the Pioneers section of the novel? Did it add to or take away from the novel for you?

Marx says that a game is “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.” (p. 336).  Contrast this with the death and loss that happens in the novel (Sam’s mother Anna, Marx himself).  Why do you think Zevin chose to put her characters through so much trauma?

Sam’s advisor tells him that “to be good at something is not the same as loving it.”  Sam and Sadie clearly love video games.  Why do you think they love games so much?

Do you consider video games to be art?  How did this novel impact your perspective on this?

Do you agree with Sadie that what she and Sam have is more rare and special than romantic love?  Do you have anyone in your life that challenges you creatively and intellectually the way that Sam and Sadie challenge each other?