Books as friends
Ft. "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow"
I didn’t even want to write this post about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Gabrielle Zevin wrote the next great American novel, in my opinion. The book is so good that I could write entire Substack posts about each page. I was worried that I was going to ruin the book for myself and for you by talking about it.
But that’s exactly why I need to talk about it. How many books make you feel this way?
When my book club said they wanted to read Tomorrow, I jumped at the chance to re-read the book I read six months ago. I couldn’t wait to re-read it, actually. When I talk, think or write about Tomorrow, it feels like I’m doing so about an old friend. That’s why writing this post is so hard. How do you write about something that means so much to you?
I had so many ideas for what I could write this post about: the nature of friendship, since Tomorrow explores the saga of friendship between Sam and Sadie, from childhood friends to colleagues making video games together; what it means to live in a world with infinite possibilities, because that’s a major theme throughout the book (and in video games, I discovered!); or the interesting structure of the book and how it combines past, present and future.
Every time I tried to write about these topics, the posts ended up being boring and pretentious and filled with dead-ends. Tomorrow is such a good book that you can only write about the experience of reading it. It’s not a book that makes you think in the traditional, logical, rational way. It consumes you and takes you to a whole different universe.
Tomorrow is a book about friendship, but the book also becomes your friend. That sounds silly if you haven’t read the book. But if you have, you know exactly what I mean.
The way it becomes your friend is the way anyone would: by making you feel warm and comfortable and a little bit emotional, while also pushing you to see infinite possibilities for your life. You read dialogue that sounds like your old friends being in the room with you, while also seeing a world where friendship is the most important relationship in your life (rather than romance). You read about art and beauty while seeing that through the lens of video games (something I didn’t care one bit about before Tomorrow). You read about present thoughts, while seeing the past and future converging into them (like that good friend who knows the consequences of your actions before you do; also very God-like and cool).
So yes, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is so much more than a book. It’s your friend.
A few more cool things:
My mind was blown reading this article about why we have to remember that chatbots aren’t humans. Long, but worth the read.
I’m loving all the accolades and awards for Everything Everywhere All At Once. This piece about the co-directors/writers of the film makes me want to watch everything they’ve ever made.
I wrote about how getting a divorce over 50 affects your retirement savings. Got some really good pre-marital advice from my interviewees. Highly recommend befriending older divorcées.
PS When you buy a book through links in this article, I earn an affiliate commission, which is really nice. So thanks!