"Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow again" by Gabrielle Zevin - A special friendship between success and failure in the gaming industry

Sadie and Sam. A gifted game development duo who inspired the entire gaming industry in the 90s and were celebrated by gamers worldwide. But they are not just a professional team: ever since they met as children in a hospital in Los Angeles, they have shared a special friendship and quickly realize that they share a passion for video games in general and Super Mario in particular. Gabrielle Zevin's novel "Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow Again", which was published in 2023, tells the story of this friendship, with all its ups and downs.

Having not been in contact since childhood due to a falling out, Sadie and Sam cross paths again years later when they are both studying at Cambridge - Sam at Harvard and Sadie at MIT. Even after all this time, their passion for computer games has not cooled, and during their chance and brief encounter on the train platform, Sadie slips Sam a self-programmed game and asks her old friend for his opinion. Enthusiastic about Sadie's talent, Sam suggests they work together on a larger project. Without much expectation, the two of them plunge headlong into developing their first game together during their vacation: Ichigo. They are supported on various levels by Sam's flatmate Marx, who tries to make life easier for everyone, both in his friendship with Sam and with regard to the two friends' development project, and becomes part of the team as a producer. The game proves to be their absolute breakthrough, they build up an international community of enthusiastic fans and are able to establish themselves in the gaming scene.

"And that's the truth of any game - it only exists in the moment it's played. It's the same with acting. In the end, we only know which game has been played, in the only world we know."

During the ensuing period of success, the trio of Sam, Sadie and Marx are not only confronted with new challenges on a professional level, but the fronts between the friends also seem to harden on an interpersonal level. The founding of their joint company and their growing fame are overshadowed by emotional and physical traumas and injuries. Sam in particular struggles with his past and withdraws further and further.

Sadie, on the other hand, struggles with jealousy as Sam, who becomes the figurehead of the company and the game, seems to take most of the credit, even though they were both equally involved in its development. However, whether in meetings with larger corporations or in conversations with others in the scene, it becomes apparent once again that a woman has to assert herself more in a professional environment, especially in the Technical industry. Finally, a serious stroke of fate puts a further strain on the relationship between the two friends and they seem to become increasingly estranged - until the question arises as to how and whether they can continue as friends and as a creative team.

The novel succeeds in drawing the reader completely into the plot by creating multi-layered and dynamic characters who are difficult to penetrate at first glance, but whose life stories and experiences only gradually come together. The characters are confronted with real-life questions, with risks, failures, setbacks and successes - and so you empathize with Sadie and Sam in every situation. The time jumps between past and present gradually reveal why Sam has become the person he is today. The plot is full of conflicts, misunderstandings and communication problems, which makes the reader feel involved without taking sides. This gives the novel a captivating and emotionally involving complexity.

"For demonstration purposes, Marx jumped onto a kitchen chair and delivered the "Morning" speech. He knew it by heart.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow

And again tomorrow creeps in its short step

From one day to the next, to the last

To the last letter of our allotted time,

And all our yesterdays have been fools

Shone on to the fashionable grave!""

Current topics such as feminism and cultural appropriation are also cleverly woven into the novel, adding a pleasant depth to the already complex plot. The novel's special dynamic is reinforced by the use of different perspectives in some chapters, which allows readers to immerse themselves in a computer game environment for a short time, for example.

Despite its 560 pages, "Morgen, morgen und wieder morgen" is a very entertaining novel that depicts the friendship between two very interesting and multifaceted characters in a realistic, emotional, melancholy and skillfully used humor. Even if you are not familiar with gaming or pop culture, this novel is a great recommendation, as you embark on a wonderful journey through the decades of Sadie and Sam's lives - a life characterized by creativity, risk, failure, loss, true friendship and above all: the love of video games.