What Macbeth opines in his “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” soliloquy speaks to the relentlessness and futility of life. That in some ways sums up the subtext of this book, which is essentially a love triangle in the modern world. The twist here is that the main characters are gamers, and in the gaming world there is the possibility of infinite rebirth and infinite redemption. In the virtual world, death is not the end and losing is but a chance to try again; there are endless chances, endless restarts. You do not have to be a gamer to see the appeal.
The story begins around the turn of the most recent century, when two college students, Sam and Sadie bump into each other at a train station. The pair haven’t spoken since childhood, when they met in the games room of a hospital, Sadie a visitor and Sam a patient. They were very close for a time, but have a significant falling out that is without resolution, so when they meet up again, they have an intense past that shapes their future. The book revolves around them making, and with the help of Sam's roommate Marx, marketing and selling a video game. They go on to do much more of that, all the while Sam and Sadie's relationship is one that flounders. There are many difficult truths that they can talk about, but Sam's psychological and physical injuries prevent them from addressing their past. This is a very charming book and I highly recommend it.
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