I was scrolling on TikTok one fateful morning when a friendly face appeared. Bestselling author John Green. The beloved Kenyon alum was granted to me by the all-powerful algorithm for one purpose: to recommend the novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I have never before heard a book recommendation given with such gusto and complete adoration. He refers to it as “one of the best books I’ve ever read” and said it would make me feel like “something is welling up in you from the way down deep that you didn’t even know you would ever be able to glimpse or feel again.” Perhaps it is an understatement to say John Green highly recommends this novel. In fact, it felt like required reading from the king of heart-wrenching YA stories himself. Naturally, I had to investigate. Can John Green be trusted?
Spoiler alert: I should have never doubted him. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is the best novel I have read this year. The more I think about this novel and what it represents, the greater my love for it grows. It is as if Ready Player One, The Odyssey, and Normal People were put into a blender and sprinkled with a pinch of Shakespeare for good measure. The story spans the lives of three video game designers named Sadie, Sam, and Marx who navigate their journey to success. The desires and flaws of the characters unwind in a complex and exquisite portrait making them come alive on the page. There is no end to the existential crisis-inducing questions asked by this novel. What is love, and what are the intricacies of its varied forms? What can be defined as art? How is human creation used to heal wounds? Is it nobler to lead a grand life or a quiet, honest one? These are the central themes that AP Literature students will one day be writing essays about. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow feels like a classic in the making.
Gabrielle Zevin is a Harvard graduate with a life-long love of video games. It is evident in the story how much research she dedicated to fleshing out this novel. I was delighted to find out that Zevin even went so far as to program a video game in real life that is mentioned in the novel. The game is called “Emily Blasters” and can be played on her website. I am not the only one excited about making this story come to life. The film rights to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow were bought by Paramount and a feature movie is currently in development. However, it is still in the early stages. Critics and booktokers alike have given glowing reviews, granting Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow the adoration it deserves. I for one will be waiting with bated breath for more content from Gabrielle Zevin.
This book is begging to be devoured. In fact, I went through it so fast that I regret not savoring it more. I was listening to the audiobook throughout most of the day, only taking out my earbuds for the occasional conversation or meal. At one point near the novel’s climax, I had to physically lay down on the floor of my kitchen, tears running down my face, to contemplate mortality. That is the power of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. It will make you think, laugh, cry, and want to work as a game designer. I am grateful to John Green and the TikTok algorithm for bringing this book to my attention. He was correct in describing that welling-up kind of feeling that Zevin’s writing gives you. Officially, I can say without a doubt that we should all trust the word of John Green.