Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is one of the most talked-about novels in recent years, winning the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2022. It promises an ambitious story about friendship, creativity, and the art of video games, and it has certainly divided readers with its blend of brilliance and flaws. Some have hailed it as a masterpiece, while others walked away frustrated. After finishing it, I can see why this book sparks such strong reactions.
A Story About Games and Human Connection
The novel begins when Sam Masur, a Harvard student, unexpectedly reunites with Sadie Green, a childhood friend with whom he once shared a deep connection. What starts as a casual encounter turns into a lifelong creative partnership. Together, with the help of their friend Marx, they design video games that catapult them into fame and fortune. From their first hit, Ichigo, to later projects that reflect their personal struggles, the story spans thirty years of friendship, ambition, tragedy, and artistic triumph.
One of the novel’s strongest qualities is the way it presents video games as more than entertainment. Through Sam and Sadie’s creations, Zevin captures games as interactive stories, vessels for emotion, and mirrors of identity. For readers who have ever been captivated by a game’s world-building or storytelling, these sections feel vivid and surprisingly moving. The technical details of designing games are described with care and authenticity, making the novel resonate even for readers who are not gamers themselves.
Strengths of the Novel
Zevin’s prose is fluid and engaging, drawing readers into the creative lives of her characters. The narrative has a slice-of-life quality that makes us feel we are growing up alongside Sam, Sadie, and Marx, witnessing both their professional milestones and their private disappointments. The social commentary woven into the book also adds depth. Sam’s struggles with disability and Sadie’s experiences of sexism in the gaming industry give the novel weight without ever feeling heavy-handed.
Another highlight is how the novel portrays ambition and failure. The characters chase recognition and success, but Zevin reminds us that creative brilliance cannot shield anyone from heartbreak, betrayal, or loss. There are moments of genuine beauty where friendship feels more enduring than romance, and other times when professional collaboration offers a kind of immortality.
Where It Falters
Yet the novel is not without its weaknesses. For some readers, the friendship between Sam and Sadie never fully convinces. Their bond is constantly tested by miscommunication, unresolved conflicts, and emotional distance. At times, their relationship feels more like a cycle of hurt and reconciliation than an unshakable connection. This undermines the book’s central claim about the power of friendship being equal to or greater than romance.
Another common critique is Zevin’s language. While often lyrical, it occasionally lapses into pretentiousness, with word choices that feel more distracting than enriching. The narrative also introduces tangents and side characters that add little to the central story, slowing the momentum and making the novel feel uneven.
Some readers also felt manipulated by sudden dramatic events, which seem designed primarily to evoke emotion rather than emerge organically from the plot. The story’s early chapters are layered and nuanced, but later sections sometimes lose focus, drifting into overextended commentary at the expense of character development.
Overall Impression
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is undeniably ambitious. It is at once a love letter to video games, a meditation on art and identity, and an exploration of complicated friendships. For many, it succeeds in delivering a fresh, emotional narrative that lingers long after the final page. For others, the flaws in pacing, character depth, and language may overshadow its strengths.
Either way, it is a novel worth engaging with, especially for readers curious about how games can shape human connection and storytelling. If nothing else, Zevin has created a book that inspires conversation, debate, and reflection something not every modern bestseller can claim.
Final Verdict
A dazzling, imperfect, but unforgettable novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow rewards patient readers with moments of brilliance while also leaving room for criticism. It may not be flawless, but it is a story that dares to explore the boundaries of friendship, creativity, and what it means to be remembered.
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