When I heard this novel was about gaming, I was skeptical that it was as good as everyone was saying it was. I have never played a video game in my life, and I have zero interest in doing so now. Well, I loved this book!
The main characters are Sam, Sadie, and Marx. Sam & Sadie met as children in the hospital. Sam was in the hospital after a serious foot injury he received in a car accident that killed his mother. He had undergone several surgeries to try to correct the problem. He hadn't spoken to anyone since the accident (6 weeks) and spend his days playing a video game at the hospital. Sadie was visiting her sister, Alice, who had childhood cancer. Sadie joined Sam one day in the game room; Sam spoke to her; and their friendship began. Sam shut Sadie out of his life however after he found out that Sadie was getting community hours credit by spending time with him all those days at the hospital.
Sam met Marx in college when they were assigned as roommates. Sam was the odd duck living in poverty. Marx was wealthy, handsome, kind, charming, and seemed drawn to Sam because he liked helping people who needed it. He was really Sam's only friend. One day Sam unexpectedly saw Sadie in public and called out to her. She initially ignored him, but he was persistent and she turned around to talk to him. Sam had forgiven her. Sadie was taking college classes in game coding & development. She gave Sam a game she had developed called "Solution"; he played it; and they eventually became partners in the game making business. Marx became their "manager", for all intents and purposes. The above explanation is very simplified. They story is much more detailed and engaging. These three characters, and their relationships with each other, are what drive the book. Sam & Sadie had a very contentious relationship at times. They were both extremely intelligent and talented, but they had different visions in their game development. Marx supported and loved them both. He was the calming presence in their personal and business lives.
As Sam & Sadie develop games (some highly successful and some not), their relationship goes through some rough times. Sam has always loved Sadie but never acted on it since they were business partners. Although Sadie also loved Sam, she was in an on and off relationship with her college professor, Dev, and eventually fell in love with Marx, which hit Sam incredibly hard.
As for the name of the book, and what it means, Marx explains it this way: "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."
This book will break your heart, but it also demonstrates the power of friendship love. It's so much more than a book about gaming.
Wendy's Rating: *****
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