50 Books That Stayed With Me: 4 of 50

4 out of 50

I don’t read a lot of fiction. Not out of snobbery, just habit. So maybe that means you shouldn’t take my fiction recommendations too seriously. Or maybe that’s exactly why you should. I don’t know, but either ways here is 4 out of 50, of a series where I talk about books that stayed with me.

I’ve been a fan of Gabrielle Zevin’s work since I read The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, a small, charming book that hit harder than expected. That almost immediately led me to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

On the surface, it might seem like a book about video games. But it’s not. It’s about friendship, creativity, ambition, grief, ego, and the strange, sticky intimacy of building something with someone over a lifetime. It follows Sam and Sadie, two friends who meet as kids and grow into game designers together, and everything that comes with that: connection, miscommunication, rivalry, love , and loss.

What hit me most was how Zevin captures the messiness of long-term relationships. Not necessarily romantic ones, but the kind that survive in spite of ego, hurt, distance, and time.

I think there are books that need to be appreciated for their artistic ambition but can be a slog to get through. Then there are books that are easy, popcorn reads, fun but forgettable. This one, for me at least, is the perfect blend. It’s smart, deeply emotional, beautifully written, and still completely engrossing.

Even when the story shifts or slows or breaks your heart a little, you want to keep going. Again, I don’t read a lot of fiction, but of the little I’ve read, I loved this!

Oh, and it’s full of amazing lines that are worth starring. Like:

“There is a time for any fledgling artist where one's taste exceeds one's abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway.”