This is where I speak to the world.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a fast-paced, plot-driven story of two best friends weaving in and out of each other's lives. It starts when the pair are children in Los Angeles and follows their lives for the next 30 years. The two main characters, Sam and Sadie, are connected by their love of video games and their desire to create them. Zevin does a wonderful job of crafting a beautiful story of friendship, determination, and tragedy utilizing a unique theme of video games.
This book was recommended to me by several different people over the past few months. I ended up reading this 400 page book in 3 days. I say this because I am not a quick reader, but I absolutely could not put this book down. It is an incredibly easy read and the plot is action-packed, so there is no time for rest before the next adventure. Although it draws on similar themes from other stories of friends, lovers, and whatever is in between, I felt like Zevin offered a unique, modern twist on these tried and true plots.
NOTE: the following paragraph contains spoilers.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there were several aspects of the story that I was disappointed by. The major flaw was the characters. I think most of the characters in the book showed a lack of development throughout the story (even though it took place over 30 years). Zevin failed to analyze the feelings of the characters which made it hard to understand why some characters acted as they did. Her explanations for their behavior would sometimes be so shallow that it felt like even the main characters in her book were NPCs. I think a great example of this is when Zevin used just 2 sentences to explain after-the-fact that Sadie's months-long depression was due to her abortion. This could have been a perfect opportunity to dig into her feelings around loss, shame, and loneliness and how those influenced her actions and shaped her character. Further, the two male characters, Sam and Marx, were completely one-dimensional. Sam did not change from the beginning of the book, had no redemption arc for his character, and was just an asshole the whole time. Similarly, Marx did not change either. He was introduced as the talented, outgoing gentleman who always made the right choice. Throughout the story, he stayed a good friend, never hurt anyone, and died a hero's death. It's a fine character; one that you may even cheer for at first, but just lacking any real depth. Like a Michael Bay film, it seemed like book was chasing the action and focused on jumping from one major plot point to the next without adequately building out any of the characters.
In the end, I give Zevin a 4/5 for this captivating read. Although I had many nits to pick, the book did its job and did it well. It kept me entertained for hours and I'm sure anyone that reads it will enjoy this emotional, fresh story of friendship and video games.
I’m sure I sound like an old curmudgeon when I say this, but when I was younger, everything was simpler. I feel like things were allowed to be just what they were. Today, more and more, I am inundated by things that are trying to do too much. There is probably a proper name for it, but it’s a phenomenon that I like to call the hot honey-ification of things.
You’ll notice this if try to get a slice of pizza at Scarrs. They’ll offer up a specialty slice and ask if you’d like hot honey on it. Pizza is already fantastic as is, do you really need to make it spicy and sweet too? This might be a bad example because the hot-boy pizza at Scarrs is their best seller, but I, nonetheless, want to make a point.
Everything doesn’t have to make you feel everything.
When I am bombarded by so many different feelings (whether they be tastes, smells, visuals, experiences) I actually feel less. And I think this dulls experiences in life.
Another prominent example is in media. Movies used to make you feel a certain way by being unforgiving about what they wanted you to feel. Horror movies made you scared, comedy movies made you laugh, and thrillers made you wait on the edge of your seat. There was less relief, and less overlap. These films weren’t made to be loved by everyone, but instead made to evoke a certain emotion in everyone. I think this pushed artists to be more creative about how they can manufacture that pinnacle of a feeling while being true to a story.
This is not to say that the opposite didn’t exist back in the day. There are several movies, TV shows, foods, and experiences that blended genres and feelings and they were phenomenal. Is the Sopranos a drama? Comedy? Who knows?
But what used to be the exception, is now the rule.
Good art can touch many parts of the heart, but great art pierces straight through it with one profound emotion. Maybe nothing has changed at all and I just got older. Maybe I’m just upset because the guy put hot honey on my pizza.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is a captivating tale of a confused but very self-assured man-child in 1960’s New Orleans. Toole does a fantastic job of placing the reader in the midst of a series of disconnected characters and events that all seem to tie together beautifully in the end. It is entertaining to constantly guess what will happen next while simultaneously being confused by the irrationality of the cast’s behavior and the coincidental surprises that ensue. In the end it is the brilliant cast of creative characters who come together to create a comedic masterpiece.
While the accents and creole dialect in the book were a fantastic touch to the characters, I thought at times it went too far. Not in a blatantly negative way, but in a way where you felt like the exaggerated speech did not add much to the text and perhaps took the reader away from the story - like how Mr. Jones ends every sentence with “Hey!”.
My only other critique would be the length and detail of some of the side stories and characters. This was my major criticism while reading the book, however after seeing how the story ties up so beautifully at the end, I can appreciate how some of these side stories were in fact integral to tie the whole plot together. Adding more background or history to some of these characters would help the reader understand their motives and actions better which would make some of these side stories more interesting during the read.
In the end, I give Mr. Toole 4/5 stars for this fantastic, creative piece that still makes me laugh 70 years after he wrote it. The publishing of this book was a great ode to 1960’s New Orleans and its wonderful mix of cultures. It is a shame that the world is deprived of any other wonderful stories from Mr. Toole’s mind.
It was an early Tuesday morning on an 8am flight to Chicago. It seemed like the only people on board were businessmen, and a few tired tourists who just finished their extended dream New York weekend vacation.
Like most of the others, I found my seat and closed my eyes in hope of catching a few more dreams before having to meet clients in Chicago. As the plan took off, without warning, every screen turned on and began blaring an advertisement. I was confused and surprised so I tried turning my screen off, but all controls were locked. United Airlines forced everyone on board to labour through this long, monotonous advertisement for a mid-level hotel chain.
Over the past few years it has been painfully obvious to see how corporations attempt to squeeze as many dollars they can out of the services they offer. A lot of this has been facilitated though ads. Netflix has included ads in its streaming services; Ubers and taxis play ads on an iPad right in your face; and sometimes, to me, it all feels inescapable.
It makes me reminisce, not for the days when capitalism was any different, but for the days when there were moments without the constant stimulation of capitalism. I would be a fool to think that corporations have become less moral. I think instead, it is society that has let in these new forms of capitalism through addicting itself to stimulation.
Maybe this is just another rant against the tictokification of our world or maybe I just want United Airlines to choose better ads. But this was a first for me and I’m sure it won’t be the last.