You don’t need to be a pro gamer or a nostalgic Nintendo fan to dive into this story. Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, published by AdN and presented in Catalan by Edicions del Periscopi, is introduced here through Gabrielle Zevin’s translation. Set in New York in 1977, it follows two gifted young video game creators, Sam and Sadie. They have known each other since childhood, become friends, clash, reunite, and navigate a relationship that stays loyal to their unique form of romantic friendship. The narrative explores how friendship can take many shapes, all of them rich and variable.
The action unfolds in the 1990s, a decade when it felt possible to resist the pressure of a society that values success above all. It marks the moment when video games were still a rising scene before the industry scaled to astronomical profits. Yet Tomorrow stands as much more than a gaming tale. It is the story of two soulmates whose intense, sometimes dangerous creative energy pushes them toward adulthood, complete with all the missteps, contradictions, and disappointments that come with growing up.
The novel has earned a place among notable reads. It became a favorite on Goodreads, a popular platform for book lovers, and has maintained strong sales in the United States for years. Zevin, a prolific novelist with more than a dozen titles, has collaborated on a film adaptation, and fans have welcomed the cinematic project with enthusiasm on social media. The work resonates with readers who crave a blend of artistry and accessible storytelling. The author has explained that both video games and literature share a language that helps describe the world surrounding us, making the two forms unexpectedly compatible.
Video games contain worlds
Zevin’s upbringing was shaped by immigrant parents who worked at IBM in the 1970s, giving him early access to computers and games. This environment became a way to cope with the loneliness of growing up as the only child in New York City in the early 1980s. The author notes that the first generation to play video games like Sam and Sadie was born in the late 1970s, and he found it exhilarating to tell a lifelong story through these digital worlds. He believes games can hold entire universes inside them, capable of exploring social class, identity, and any other topic that matters.
Generation Y Sensitivity and Z
One key reason the book resonates with younger readers is its willingness to address issues that concern today’s generations, including millennials and Generation Z. It tackles cultural appropriation, abuse of power, systemic machismo, and gender fluidity with a nuanced, nonpreachy voice. The setting is the high-stakes MIT-like atmosphere of the 1990s, a backdrop where ambitious souls chase breakthroughs and recognition. A sharp example is Sadie’s emotionally charged, complicated relationship with a teacher, a dynamic that would trigger strong debates today. Zevin has said many readers asked why the affair is not punished more decisively; his reply is that in the 1990s such relationships could unfold in ways that felt ordinary to those involved, and the tragedy lies in the choices made by capable, compassionate people rather than in a simple verdict.
Allowance
Within the pages, the protagonists wrestle with whether Ichigo, the game’s central character, should be a boy or a girl. They also contemplate whether the protagonist’s gender even matters, aware that male protagonists tend to sell better. A similar discussion arises with the Hokusai wave depicted on the cover, which later invites accusations of cultural appropriation. Zevin explains that the intent was to capture a moment in time and to consider how perspectives shift with history. The author, who is of mixed Jewish and Korean heritage, reflects on how personal identity can influence storytelling and the way characters perceive one another. The point is not to pretend to have clean answers but to explore how identities intersect with creative decisions.
Divorce from friends
The bond between Sam and Sadie, though not always romantic, powers the novel in a way that mirrors the energy of a program driven by obsession. Zevin seeks to chart every phase of a deep friendship and asks why there is no precise term for the moment when two people drift apart. The book acknowledges that friendships can end without formal announcements. The mourning that follows can linger longer than expected and leave an imprint on a person as strong as any break in a relationship.