Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, 5 Stars,[Bwf][Steeplechase]❤️

[NancyJ]

I found this book deeply satisfying. I liked the authors other books, but this one reaches a whole other level. The writing is very mature, with a great depth of characters, and an intelligent structure. I understand that some people don’t particularly like the characters, but I found them much more interesting and unique than most typical nice characters. The ups and downs of the friendships and relationships felt very realistic to me. All the emotions felt earned. There were no simple quick fixes.

One of the things I enjoyed the most, was how they approached their work. I was thrilled by many of the examples of the collaborative process in their work, even when (or especially when) it didn’t come easy. I was brought back to times when I experienced some of that in my life. It can be invigorating, motivating and exciting to see how different minds can work together to create something much better than one individual could do on their own. (I felt twinges of regret that I moved back to academia too early, because it was sadly missing.)

This is a book that rewards careful or repeated readings. I first started the book 1-2 years ago when my concentration was low. I enjoyed it enough, but I was forgetting too much. This time, the reread sections felt pleasantly nostalgic and gave me more. I especially appreciate all the delicate layers that bring the reader back to previous scenes, with additional information. This writing technique is very useful in helping the reader to retain more of the key points. Whenever a character remembers an incident, it reinforces the memory and emotion of the event. It does the same thing for the reader I think. For instance (view spoiler)[ When Sam first meets Sadie in the hospital we know that they are both lonely, and their friendship is healing for both of them. Later we realize that this was right after the accident in which his mother dies, and he hadn’t spoken to anyone else for weeks or months since then. That dramatically raised the impact of the 609(?) hours on Sadie’s time sheet. There were more layers to the suicide (of the other Anna Lee) that Anna and Sam observed when he was a child in New York City. Each memory took on a new meaning or perspective, especially for Anna. (hide spoiler)]

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