Last Friday (October 25th), the GrepBeat Book Club reunited for a second in-person meeting. We loved seeing some of you return after our first meeting and were excited to welcome some new members as well! We also hope to see everyone back when we reconvene in January (details on that below).
Meanwhile, here’s a recap of our second book (and first novel): “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin.
The Book in 150 Words
When Sam Masur and Sadie Green meet amidst childhood misfortunes (for Sam, a grave injury; for Sadie, her sister’s cancer) they form a deep bond through a shared love of gaming—and an ability to see one another as no one else can. Years later, the on-again-off-again friends cross paths in Boston, where they ultimately design a hit video game (Ichigo) and start a company (Unfair Games).
What unfolds from there is a journey spanning their young adulthood, from Boston to Los Angeles. Along with Marx—Sam’s conveniently wealthy and capable roommate for whom everything comes easily—Sam and Sadie rise toward the top of the video game world, releasing several more titles (some hits, some flops) and building a company.
What “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is really about, however, is how Sam and Sadie navigate assorted personal tragedies and their complex feelings toward one another along the way.
What Book Club Thought
Reviews were largely positive! While we shared some quibbles (such as the struggle of startup-building sometimes being glossed over, or Marx being more plot device than character), members found this to be an engaging, thought-provoking read. There’s a lot to dissect in the friendship between Sam and Sadie, as well as in what the book has to say about identity, escape, and relationships. The startup story is fun enough, but the depth is in the character drama.
4/5 stars.
Notable Quotes
- “What, after all, is a video game’s subtextual preoccupation if not the erasure of mortality?”
- Editor’s take: Maybe the quote’s a tad heavy for its own good, but it’s an effective encapsulation of the value Sam and Sadie see in gaming. Both use games to escape.
- “There is a time for any fledgling artist where one’s taste exceeds one’s abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway.”
- Editor’s take: It’s a good line, and also a writer’s comment. Throughout this book, Zevin appears to consider game design in much the same way she (I suspect) views her own creative writing.
- “It isn’t a sadness, but a joy, that we don’t do the same thing for the length of our lives.”
- Editor’s take: To paraphrase a line from the classic bad-but-fun guilty pleasure National Treasure, people don’t really talk like this. That Marx delivers this as an actual piece of dialogue amidst some screaming symbolism that’s basically saying the same thing anyway is… a lot. That said, it’s an interesting line once you get to the end of the book—where it’s at least hinted that Sam and Sadie might, in fact, do the same thing for the length of their lives.
What’s Next For Book Club
Next Book: “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore”
Next Meeting: Friday, January 10th, 8:30am at GrepBeat HQ. Let us know you’re coming!
Some Comments: We’re sticking with fiction this time around with an aim to enjoy a fun story that has at least something to do with tech. That said, this will definitely be a somewhat more whimsical read.
The synopsis, per Bookshop.org: The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything–instead, they “check out” large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele’s behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.
There you have it. Kick back and enjoy a mysterious, somewhat tech-infused read over the holiday, enjoy the fact that a character is described as “gnomic,” and we’ll see you on January 10th!
