being an ant in a maze designed for you
by people who are much smarter and kinder than I will ever be
Fiction, 2022
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow had been on my radar for a while. After blowing most of my money on books towards the end of 2022 (12 were bought in December), I entered a bookstore with my sister fully resolved to spend on nothing other than The God of Small Things, which was a gift for someone else. But then I saw the subject of this newsletter, and between its incredibly exciting premise (video games, the early oughts, Hokusai) and iridescent cover, I had to have it. My sister—thank god for older sisters—bought it for herself, so that I could immediately read it while keeping my bank account intact.
The story swirls around three main characters, Sam, Sadie, and Marx. Sam and Sadie have been friends since they were kids, bonded by the trauma of spending months in a hospital. Marx is Sam’s roommate in college, who soon becomes friends with Sadie as well. While this is a book about friendship, it is equally a story about work. The thread that ties, and ultimately fractures, Sam and Sadie’s relationship is their passion for video games. It’s the feeling of loving something you encounter with such intensity that the only solution is to reroute your life so that you remain as close to it as possible.
Tomorrow feels epic in scope. It spans decades, runs through countless games, and weaves in minor and major sub-characters with an ease that even real life sometimes lacks. I felt physically consumed by the story, and I sobbed twice, the sight of which made my mom burst out laughing. With family like this, you need friends like Sam, Sadie, and Marx.
Song - Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
Film - Little Miss Sunshine
wow I am buying the book rn I looked it up midway reading this