Most of the books I review tend to be sci-fi or one of its sub genres, not necessarily what’s considered mainstream. But I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of something more real world, but with a geek element. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a novel of friendship, hardship… and video games.

I’ll admit that this is not the kind of book I would usually read, but the main characters being geeks who played and created video games was the hook that drew me in. It’s not often that those of us into geek culture find “norm” novels that have characters with whom we identify. Now, I’m not a gamer, but I know the type and those personalities are pretty well reflected here. The characters have a depth that makes them real and believable, right down to some overly dramatic responses that can be a bit frustrating.

While the novel does contain some gaming descriptions – it wouldn’t make much sense to have game developers who don’t occasionally talk about their games – as well as, near the end, some brief game immersion, this is really a novel about relationships. Following the lives of the two main characters, the plot takes the reader through how their somewhat unlikely friendship develops (in large part, thanks to video games), the company they create together, the problems they face and a lot of bumps along the way. While ultimately not my kind of story, I’d still recommend the book to those looking for an engrossing, real world story of friendship, loss and love.