Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

[Lindsey]

18. As Sam often said to Sadie, “Why make anything if you don’t believe it could be great?” It is worth noting that greatness for Sam and Sadie meant different things. To oversimplify: For Sam, greatness meant popular. For Sadie, art. (p.69)

Discuss the ways in which Sadie and Sam are different, and how this effects their relationship.

[Lindsey]

19. Sadie experiences her progression in the tech and gaming industry as a young woman – how does this differ compared to Sam, Marx and Dov’s experience? Is Sadie treated differently because she is a woman?

[Lindsey]

20. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is about two characters who you meet aged 11 and spend the next 25 years watching grow up. What was this reading experience like?

[Lindsey]

I'm curious if reading this book has made you want to read other books by this autbor, or turned you off from wanting to read more of her books? Would you recommend this book to read?

[Lindsey]

🍹 Cocktail Time 🍸

This is a cocktail the author made for the book.

Strawberry Mo-Ichigo (Mojito)
Adjacent to Sadie was a stand selling six-dollar fruit shakes. The blender had begun to whir, diffusing the scent of citrus and strawberries through the musty, subterranean air, just as Sam had first called her name. “You know what might be better than one, four? How about one, five? Ichi, Go. The kid’s name is Ichigo,” Marx said. “You could call the game that, too. Ichigo also means strawberry.”

Strawberries are a recurring feature throughout Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. We’ve concocted the perfect book club drink – a strawberry mojito that will keep you refreshed as you discuss! You can make this a mocktail too, simply by removing the rum.

Ingredients:
10-15 strawberries (to taste)
3 limes
2 tbsp sugar
15-20 mint leaves/3 sprigs
350ml white rum
600ml soda water or fizzy lemon drink
Crushed ice

Method:
• First, cut the strawberries into slices, and remove the mint leaves from their sprigs, crushing them slightly to bring out the flavour. Slice one lime. Load up a pitcher or jug with plenty of crushed ice.

• Pour in the soda water or fizzy drink (we recommend Sprite for a perfect, refreshing tang!), and the rum, if you’re choosing to add alcohol. If you don’t include rum, add extra fizzy lemonade or soda water. Squeeze the juice of both limes into the pitcher.

• Add the sliced strawberries, sugar and mint leaves, and muddle into the mixture. Finally, add the sliced limes for garnish and additional zing. Drink long, with lots of crushed ice.

[Lea]

Lindsey wrote: "20. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is about two characters who you meet aged 11 and spend the next 25 years watching grow up. What was this reading experience like?"

I felt so nostalgic reading this, thinking about some of my besties, and what our friendship story would be like. I'm almost 50 years old, and I'm still close friends with some people I've known since we were 7, so for a lot more than 25 years. Over the years, friendships take a lot of twists and turns. Life happens. We've had disagreements that seemed super important at the time, but now, looking backwards, just weren't a big deal at all. Over many years, things happen. You eventually forgive. And move on. People aren't perfect. Maybe they said they would but they don't show up for you and didn't...maybe they forgot to invite you to something...maybe they had different pandemic protocols than you did or didn't respect your feelings on it...maybe something super mean was said and it hurt your feelings...maybe they borrowed your stuff (like a book!) and returned it damaged...maybe they prioritized their new friend over you... etc. etc. That all felt real to me.

What didn't feel real to me was the lack of communication between the friends. (view spoiler)[If they truly knew each other, like the author tries to convince us that they do, they would have known that something was up and wanting the best for the other, would have worked their way back to each other. I love ambiguous endings and with the ending left as it is, you don't know which it is. Are they really connected and will they find their way back to one another? Are they so broken that they won't be able to come back together? Or was it all a big lie? I could make a good argument for each! (hide spoiler)]

[Bonnie]

to me, they were two people who were friends as children, when friendship basically meant proximity and shared interests, but never really knew each other as people. Maybe couldn't. They were both really incapable of friendship to me.

[Andrea]

Lea wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "6. What are your thoughts on Sam and Sadie’s friendship throughout the years?"

This book wasn't so much about gaming to me as it was about working with your friends. In that way, i..."

I loved reading your thoughts on this book!

[Patricia]

I finished this last night & overall, really enjoyed it. I loved the characters though wanted to shake them at times. I didn't think Sadie was any more selfish than Sam. He hid too much from her for her to totally understand him. They were both human and wanted the other to think the best of them. And his name change--Mazer was a pun because he like to make mazes.--Marx, of course, was the best. I did agree that the ending was great.

[Andrea]

I loved this story. I believe one of the major take-aways is the power of being vulnerable with people we care about. Marx was so open with everyone and so loved, while Sam and Sadie struggled to let others really know them and much less sympathetic in so many ways. Relationships of any kind can be so challenging, even with those we feel the closest to - I had much empathy for each character, even when they were driving me crazy!! 😉

[Lea]

Patricia wrote: "I finished this last night & overall, really enjoyed it. I loved the characters though wanted to shake them at times. I didn't think Sadie was any more selfish than Sam. He hid too much from her for her to totally understand him. They were both human and wanted the other to think the best of them. And his name change--Mazer was a pun because he like to make mazes.--Marx, of course, was the best. I did agree that the ending was great."

I'm glad that you felt like Sadie and Sam were both selfish. I was starting to wonder if it was just me who thought that way. I liked how Zevin kind of took the loveable nerd character from all those John Hughes films and deviated from that blueprint and fleshed him out. I know most everyone rooted for Duckie and Andie to end up together in Pretty in Pink, but I didn't. Duckie wasn't entitled to Andie because he was friends with her when other people weren't, any more than Sam was entitled to Sadie because she was friends with him when other people weren't. He thought he knew her best, but Sam goes from not caring that Sadie is in a questionably abusive relationship, to resenting her healthy one, showing himself to be selfish and a bit narcissistic, in my opinion.

I think the most telling passage is the day that Sam admits to knowing about Marx and Sadie's relationship. Sam thinks he deserves all of her and says so to Marx.

“I wish I’d never met you,” Sam says. “I wish we’d never been roommates. I wish I’d never introduced you to Sadie.” Sam is starting to slur his words.
“Sadie doesn’t belong to you.”
“She does,” Sam says. “She’s mine. And you knew that, and you pursued her anyway.”

The underdog is not perfect here. Neither is the rich girl. They are both so flawed, so morally grey, yet together are able to create amazing things.

I also think Zevin brings to light something very important, that relationships do not have to be romantic in order to be valid, life altering and very important.

[Lea]

Andrea wrote: "I loved this story. I believe one of the major take-always is the power of being vulnerable with people we care about. Marx was so open with everyone and so loved, while Sam and Sadie struggled to let others really know them and much less sympathetic is so many ways. Relationships of any kind can be so challenging, even with those we feel the closest to - I had much empathy for each character, even when they were driving me crazy!! 😉"

Andrea, thanks for your thoughts. I loved it too. I was a bit annoyed with each character too, even Marx at times, but his ability to be open and honest and vulnerable took him places the other two only wished they could go. In the end, I think his short life was the best and happiest of the three main characters. He wasn't the most brilliant, but his talents lay in his ability to enjoy his life and make the most of what he had.

My two favorite Marx passages:

“Sadie, do you see this? This is a persimmon tree! This is my favorite fruit." Marx picked a fat orange persimmon from the tree, and he sat down on the now termite-free wooden deck, and he ate it, juice running down his chin. "Can you believe our luck?" Max said. "We bought a house with a tree that has my actual favorite fruit!"
Sam used to say that Marx was the most fortunate person he had ever met - he was lucky with lovers, in business, in looks, in life. But the longer Sadie knew Marx, the more she thought Sam hadn't truly understood the nature of Marx's good fortune. Marx was fortunate because he saw everything as if it were a fortuitous bounty. It was impossible to know - were persimmons his favorite fruit, or had hey just now become his favorite fruit because there they were, growing in his own backyard? He had certainly never mentioned persimmons before.”

“What's everyone talking about?"
"The end of The Iliad."
"That's the best part," Marx said.
"Why is it the best part?" Sadie asked.
"Because it's perfect," Marx said. "'Tamer of horses' is an honest profession. The lines mean that one doesn't have to be a god or a king for your life to have meaning.”

Not that he was perfect. I found his constant sampling of experiences annoying. I also felt that if he made Sadie and Sam move to California for each other, he could have made Sadie and Sam discuss their issues and work for a solution. But, he was such a good character, a connector of people and devoid of the self doubts and insecurities of the other two brilliant collaborators.

[Andrea]

Lea wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "20. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is about two characters who you meet aged 11 and spend the next 25 years watching grow up. What was this reading experience like?"

I felt s..."

I love your thoughts on how you related to this story!

[Andrea]

Lea wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I loved this story. I believe one of the major take-always is the power of being vulnerable with people we care about. Marx was so open with everyone and so loved, while Sam and Sadi..."

I loved the passage about the persimmon fruit as well! Oh to have that attitude of gratitude and abundance all the time!!!

[Jackie]

Andrea, I totally agree with your comment.

"Oh to have that attitude of gratitude and abundance all the time!!!"

[Lea]

Jackie wrote: "Andrea, I totally agree with your comment.

"Oh to have that attitude of gratitude and abundance all the time!!!""

Yes! I agree with both of you! We all would be much happier if we were able cultivate that attitude, I think! :-)

[Denise]

Just finished, I play video games a lot so I appreciated the origins on how they are made and how much passion goes into making them. Sadie was a character that I had a hard time liking, often feeling frustrated and annoyed by her character. Marx however was my favorite character and wish his story was different. Overall I enjoyed the story and found the ending satisfying.