Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

A Novel

By: Gabrielle Zevin

Narrated by: Jennifer Kim, Julian Cihi

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Short-listed, Wingate Prize

In this exhilarating novel by the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

They borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo: a game where players can escape the confines of a body and the betrayals of a heart, and where death means nothing more than a chance to restart and play again. This is the story of the perfect worlds Sam and Sadie build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, games as artform, technology and the human experience, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

Cover image: The Great Wave (detail) by Katsushika Hokusai. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

©2022 Gabrielle Zevin (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • WINGATE PRIZE NOMINEE • LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK CLUB PICK

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, TIME, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, Oprah Daily, Slate, Self.com, Bookpage, Kirkus, SheReads, GoodReads, Goop, and The What List

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year • A Jimmy Fallon Book Club Pick • A Time Must-Read Book of the Year • A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction • BookPage Best Fiction of the Year

"Delightful and absorbing...Zevin burns precisely zero calories arguing that game designers are creative artists of the highest order. Instead, she accepts that as a given, and wisely so, for the best of them plainly are...Expansive and entertaining...Dozens of Literary Gamers will cherish the world she’s lovingly conjured. Meanwhile, everyone else will wonder what took them so long to recognize in video games the beauty and drama and pain of human creation."—Tom Bissell, The New York Times

"A tour de force... A moving demonstration of the blended power of fiction and gaming....Zevin describes herself as 'a lifelong gamer.' That level of experience could very well have produced a story of hermetically sealed nostalgia impenetrable to anyone who doesn’t still own a copy of 'Space Invaders.' But instead, she’s written a novel that draws any curious reader into the pioneering days of a vast entertainment industry too often scorned by bookworms. And with the depth and sensitivity of a fine fiction writer, she argues for the abiding appeal of the flickering screen."—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Whatever its subject, when a novel is powerful enough, it transports us readers deep into worlds not our own. That's true of Moby Dick, and it's certainly true of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which renders the process of designing a great video game as enthralling as the pursuit of that great white whale….There are…smart ruminations here about cultural appropriation, given that the game, Ichigo, is inspired by Japanese artist Hokusai's famous painting The Great Wave at Kanagawa….It's a big, beautifully written novel about an underexplored topic, that succeeds in being both serious art and immersive entertainment.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air

Great book

Great book about the life of game designers. If you were born in the seventies, you will love it. Not too technical. More about life than actual programming. Very beautifully written.

it truly is beautiful

This book was recommended by John Green on TikTok and now I know why he did.

The author was so knowledgeable about so many things it really immersed you in that world. I felt like I was in an alternate universe where all of these things actually happened and I could feel everything the characters went through. I found myself always wondering how they're doing now....

I've never read another book by this author but I definitely will look through all of his other books.

I loved this book and I’m not a gamer!

I decided to read this novel because I thoroughly enjoyed The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry. I loved Gabrielle’s style of writing and found Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow even more captivating and I was pulled in throughout the entire novel. After listening to chapter 7 it became even more difficult to put the book down. Ms Zevin is an extremely gifted author and out of the 93 books I’ve read in the last two years, I rate this #1!

A perfect journey

I adored this book, and immediately had my husband and a few girlfriends read it to be able to have someone to share and appreciate the story with. I never felt rushed to progress, as it kept me pleasantly engaged and contemplative without asking too much from me energetically. This will be a really enjoyable read-again book that will connect with different seasons in different ways. A great story paired with a great narrator. I look forward to reading this again.

Needlessly mawkish

Compelling narrative. Interesting characters. Starts off strong but then grinds to a halt so that the story is slow tedious by the end. Left morose after finishing.

Do NOT choose the audiobook.

I rarely write reviews but this performance/voice was so monotone and terrible to listen to I couldn't even finish the book. It almost ruined it for me so I wanted to save it for you. It's a great story but the audiobook is horrific. Just read the book yourself.

Fantastic listen

This was such a great book, best book I’ve read in a long time. The narration was great and the characters were well done. I felt I knew them m. I did not want this book to end.

Must listen/read for book lovers

This book was so unique, I loved the way it was written. A beautiful love story of friendship and games. This book made me feel so many different things. I laughed, cried, yelled…and it left me with a yearning of wanting to know more about all of the characters. If you are a lover of games this book will be especially good for you, but even if your not the story is so good you’ll love it anyways. The performance was excellent! I was listen to this narrator again for sure. Great job with the separate narrator for the one chapter, what an exquisite decision. This book will have a special place in my heart for always!

A beautiful story of love, grief, and friendship

This book surpassed any expectations I had as a non-gamer. The themes woven throughout were so beautiful and relatable, and the call-backs in the story were fun to see develop. Didn’t love the narration, but I’m glad I stuck through.

I’m supposed to move on

But I can’t. I had no idea what to expect here and wow am I glad I read this. Life is cruel and beautiful