Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - A Game of Life

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" is a fiction of three friends starting a game company. I recently finished it and it is definitely worth sharing.

Story

The story follows Sam, who faced a tragic accident resulting in the loss of his leg, and his mother. Sam hadn't spoken a words to anyone for months after the accident. Then, he met Sadie in the hospital game room, where they played Mario together and became best friend. Sadly, a small misunderstanding drove them apart for years.

At junior year of Harvard, Sam and Sadie crossed paths again. At first, Sadie pretended she hadn't heard Sam. Fortunately, she turned. They ultimately decided to design games together.  Before even graduating college, their company "Unfair Game" skyrocketed to success.  Young, brilliant, and wealthy - Sam and Saddie seemed to have it all.

Yet, life, whether real or in fiction, brings unexpected challenges. Sam's amputation and Sadie's dissatisfaction with her work strained their personal and professional lives. Misunderstandings threatened to sever their partnership. This all seemed bad enough until a real tragedy struck them. A shooting happened at the headquarter of Unfair Game, taking the life of Marx, Sam's best friend and Sadie's lover. The story concluded with Sam and Sadie being forced to confront their grief and find solace within themselves and each other.

Themes

The story explores multiple themes, including gender equality (especially in a start up and gaming culture), romance (a short, sweet and bitter love story between Marx and Sadie, and an affair between Sadie and her professor); and challenges in the business world. Two ideas, in particular, stood out to me.

Game and Life

The writer skillfully compares life to a game. I could not summarise it any better than the author: -

“What is a game? It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

While life is finite, each new day indeed offers the opportunity for a fresh start, reminding us of the infinite potential that lies within every moment. These infinites should be treasured.  

And just like a game, life has its peaks and valleys.

After the success of Unfair Game, Sadie naively thought, "She would never fail again. She had thought she had 'arrived'."

Certainly, I have not started a successful company and gotten rich (or any company indeed). Yet, I did have my good times. For example, I imagined life would be much easier when I first got into law school. Well, I could tell you I was wrong. There is probably no "arriving" in life, maybe until you clock out.  

And of course, there are the valleys. The exchanges between Sam and Sadie, where Sam expresses his frustration with Sadie's evasiveness during her time of depression after Marx died, struck a chord with me:

“I am so tired of your crap. Do you honestly think you suffer more than everyone else? Do you think you suffer more than I do? Do you think you're the first person to lose someone? Do you think you're some goddamned pioneer when it comes to grief?

We work through our pain. That's what we do. We put the pain into the work. You have to participate. You have to talk to me. You can't ignore me and our company.”

Indeed, no matter how challenging life may become, the best and only solution lies in persevering and continuing to live. It's easier said than done, but we must make the effort. Otherwise, one could easily succumb to depression or the trap of blaming the world.

Friendship

Friendship is a vital pillar throughout the story. The author beautifully portrays the vulnerability and trust required to engage in true companionship: -

“To allow yourself to play with another person is no small risk. It means allowing yourself to be open, to be exposed, to be hurt. It is the human equivalent of the dog rolling on its back---I know you won't hurt me, even though you can. It is the dog putting its mouth around your hand and never biting down. To play requires trust and love.”

Reading this paragraph brought a smile to my face as I reflected on the times I spent foolishly playing with my friends. I am truly grateful for everyone who has taken the time to play with me.

Cliché?

I know - some of you must say that this is a cliché story, and I agree to an extent. However, good fiction has the ability to present clichéd concepts in a captivating and relatable manner. Even if you have seen the plot in some other stories, we are still amazed and emotionally invested in the journey of the characters.

I am glad that I spend some time to enjoy this novel. Hope you enjoy reading this article as well!