Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Given their frequent tensions, which of the two lead characters did you find yourself siding with more: Sadie or Sam? How did the plot developments affect your assessments of each character?

2. What are some of the narrative elements that recur between this novel and Zevin’s earlier work, such as The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2014) or Young Jane Young (2017)? How do these inform your sense of the central preoccupations of Zevin’s work?

Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Do you often play video games? Discuss the types of video games you like playing and explore what appeals to you in each of these games. How does the novel’s exploration of video game production inform your sense of intentionality in video game design? Do you feel closer to the game designers who made your favorite games, now that you’ve read the novel?

2. Discuss your reaction to Marx’s death. Did you sense that his death was inevitable or did it surprise you when it happened? How do you feel about Zevin’s decision to devote an entire chapter to his perspective of the event? How would this have been different from choosing to narrate his death entirely through Sam’s or Sadie’s perspectives?

3. Have you ever been in a situation where you were discriminated against or undermined in your industry because of your identity? How did the novel resonate with that experience? Did it inspire you to think of ways to challenge the biases in your industry?

4. What type of society does the text depict? Does it share similarities with our society?

Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Discuss how Sadie’s comment that she often needs to adopt “a male point of view” (44) when playing video games reflects the historical gender bias against women in gaming. Looking back at the real-life video games referenced in the novel, which of these games aligns with Sadie’s assessment? How does Unfair Games avoid falling into this pattern when they create their own games?

2. What is the novel’s position on video games as an art form? How does this position engage with contemporary notions of art, or expand on the classical conception of what can consist of art? Could these notions be applied retroactively to classic non-video games, such as Monopoly or chess?

3. The term “parasocial relationship” refers to a type of one-sided relationship where individuals develop a sense of connection to another person whom they don’t truly know, such as a celebrity or public figure. How does the novel comment on parasocial relationships with public personas? Discuss the role that media plays in driving this relationship. Within the novel, what are some of the consequences of this dynamic?

Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. In video games, players have the opportunity to step into the skin of other personas and alter egos. Discuss the symbolic use of names in the novel. How does Sam’s public adoption of the “Mazer” persona contrast with his use of the non-player character personas in Pioneers.

2. The name of Sam’s mother, Anna Lee, is reminiscent of the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe. Compare Anna Lee’s character to the eponymous figure of Poe’s poem. Discuss how Zevin uses the allusion to inform Anna Lee’s dynamic with Sam, as well as the emotional or tonal atmosphere around Sam’s character.

3. Chapter 7 is narrated from Marx’s perspective, though Zevin chooses to write it in the second person. How does this perspective choice resonate with the novel’s focus on video games? What effect did this have on you as a reader, especially in the context of agency in video games?

4. Explore how the novel uses the relationship between Sam and Sadie to drive its ideas about friendship and love. Do you think a romantic relationship between the two characters could have ever worked? How does Zevin mediate the tension of this question within the plot?

5. Compare and contrast the characters of Dov and Marx. How do their respective relationships with Sadie influence her approach to video game development?

Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Let your book club roleplay as a video game company. Discuss the first game your company would create. What would the concept be? Who would be the target audience? What would you call it? Lastly, does your game share similarities with any of the games mentioned in the novel?

2. How do you think Sam will handle Sadie’s new video game concept? Do you think Sam can better handle his insecurities around Sadie, as well as his ambition? Will Sadie compromise with Sam’s commercial ideas? How do you think their professional partnership will proceed without the tempering force of Marx?

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