It's hard to think of a novel I'd be predisposed to love as much as Gabrielle Zevin's story of two friends who become extremely successful game designers. Not only does the novel begin in an area near Boston I'm very familiar with, but its main characters are roughly my contemporaries. They reference video games I played a lot when I was younger. The characters discuss issues such as how to reach the top of the flag pole in Super Mario Bros and dying from dysentery in The Oregon Trail. Aside from my personal identification with the story and even if you weren't ever into gaming this is a novel many will enjoy in the way it poignantly describes a longterm platonic friendship, creativity and issues to do with identity. Adolescent Sam survives a car crash but sustains a serious foot injury which leaves him disabled for the rest of his life. While he's in the hospital he meets Sadie and the two connect over a shared passion for gaming. Both are somewhat socially awkward so their special relationship is particularly meaningful but over the years they go through rocky patches where sometimes they are emotionally distant from each other. While they are still in college they dedicate themselves to creating a new video game. Though they are driven more by passion than a desire for success the game becomes a worldwide hit. They are living the dream, but we follow how personal, professional and political challenges inhibit them from happily inhabiting the real world.
I enjoyed how the story shows that there's a liberating freedom in entering the gaming world where we're not subject to the same pressures and limitations of reality. It also broadens our scope for seeing how society can be refashioned to be more equal and fair for everyone. Sadie and Sam self consciously endeavour to form alternative worlds which aren't inhibited by sexism, racism and homophobia. The role playing in the stories also challenges preconceived ideas of history and our own culpability in morally ambiguous situations. As a model which gamers inhabit with avatars this can inspire change which carries over into decisions made in the real world. However, it can also be an addictive way of avoiding certain personal issues and foster as many factions as there are in reality. Equally, even though it can be a useful medium through which to build and sustain friendships, it doesn't always foster communication in the same way as speaking to people in real life. The story details the particular challenges which Sadie encounters because she was one of the few women in the professional field of gaming at that time. Sam becomes extremely withdrawn because of his serious injury and denies how much it impacts his life. Their social awkwardness is somewhat mediated through a mutual friend and colleague named Marx who is confident and caring. It's heartrending how the story of this trio plays out over the course of the story.
This is a novel of great ambition which is largely pleasurable and engaging to read. At times it feels like it strives a little too hard to cover quite so many topics from the line between power play in the bedroom and domestic abuse to same sex marriage to cultural appropriation. For the most part it meaningfully incorporates these into the characters and storylines, but it sometimes risks cramming a bit too much in to sensitively show the full repercussions and complexities of these things. The timeline shifts around quite a lot in a way which can be a bit disorientating at first, but it's fairly easy to follow. Interviews with Sam about the success of their games are interspersed with the main narrative so there's never any question about their success as game creators. Instead the plot focuses on the more interesting question of how they can continue to stay true to their ideas and vision while building a sustainable business. I admire how Zevin toys with narrative perspective itself so it sometimes switches to inhabiting game play. This builds a tension concerning what is occurring in the real world and why the characters are taking refuge in the virtual. The title of the novel is a quote from Shakespeare and its relevance in the story is only revealed later. It's pleasurable when stories do this because it's like a reward for the reader who finally understands the thematic frame of the book. Overall, it's a smart and alluring tale which poignantly expresses the bittersweet joys of gaming and the sustaining connection of friendship.
