Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. - William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Where to even begin. [b:Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|58784475|Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636978687l/58784475._SY75_.jpg|89167797] is a master piece of new adult literature. Gabrielle Zevin has created something so human, so truthful, that it blew me away. I haven't felt a book has truly captured humanity in the way this has.

Two friends, sometimes enemies, and occasionally something in-between create a game that launches them into a career in the game design world. This book follows their life and their life's work. It is as much about their lives as it is about their creative process and all the messy, awful, beautiful, and ugly parts of life.

One of the most compelling parts of this novel was Zevin's characters. The book is, at its heart, a study of these two people as they go through life. But her characters are deeper than most. Each character is written and presented in the way they would present themselves in real life. For example, Sam is closed off, he tells next to nothing about himself to his friends. And he tells even less to us as readers. The characterization is precise and unwavering. These characters are also hard to love. They are annoying and stubborn, but who isn't. One of my the best things I have learned as an actor is that people are selfish. Inherently, we only think about ourselves. If you want an idealized version of humanity where someone is always putting themselves last, this book is not for you. These characters are real and flawed, and in being so they are more lovable in my opinion. You have to work to understand and appreciate them as people.

The timeline may be hard to follow, but that seems intentional. The passage of time is fleeting. I feel like I was sitting in high school a minute ago scared out of my mind because I've only ever known the small hallways of middle school, but now I'm a second year college student about to travel outside of the country the for the first time. I couldn't tell you how time moved so quickly and neither can this book. It jumps around and finds a way to lead us forwards and backwards. I loved this style. Zevin has carefully and precisely led us to feel slightly disoriented in the way only life can.

Finally, for this review at least (my thoughts on this book could go on for a while), the Shakespeare. Oh how I adore the Bard's work. It is a universal truth of humanity, similar to how I feel about this novel. The way Shakespeare is woven throughout this book is astounding. The greatest works were mentioned, but beyond that we saw how Shakespeare influences so much of what we consume in media. Many of the games Sadie and Sam designed were rooted in shakespearean plays. Creativity is not original and Zevin is aware of this. She uses her classical influences and shows us readers how they infiltrate our lives. God, this book and this author are something else!

Gabrielle Zevin is a force to be reckoned with. This book honestly changed my life. I bought it on a whim because I liked the cover and I have never been more impressed with a book. I had doubts going into it because I really am not a gamer. My knowledge of video games stops at Minecraft (which I have on my iPad... I promise I'm not old!). This book gave me a new appreciation for the world of video games and game design. Who knew I would be so invested in a book about gamers!!