LIFE IS BUT A GAME

I have always been enamored with the Shakespeare line, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exist and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." It seemed to capture the complexity of our existence and how so many other characters shape the course of our lives. 

In her most recent novel,"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow," the writer Gabrielle Zevin has taken this quote and another equally famous Shakespeare's quote, from which the title is drawn, to sketch a beautiful story of two longtime friends over multiple acts.

After finishing the book, I read several articles and watched several interviews with the author. Without fail, each talked about how they felt that the book had been written for them. I had the same exact feeling, which speaks to how truly special and resonant this novel is.

On the surface, the story is about video game design in the early days of this field. However, video games are merely the medium the vehicle through which this story comes together over the course of some twenty years from adolescence in Los Angeles to college in Cambridge, and back to L.A. again for early adulthood of the protagonists.

Along the way, we see the arc of these characters' lives - their triumphs and their challenges - and how those experiences test their relationship and friendship. This book made me think fondly about so many of my friendships over the years, particularly one that began at the same age as the main characters and that continues to this day. Our relationship, too, began through a heavy dose of game playing, though - in our case - these were board games. I reflected on the highs and lows of that friendship and so many others.

While I did not wish to go back in time to that earlier part of my life, I found myself longing to feel as deeply as I did back then - full of passion, love, and longing. Somewhere along the way - perhaps because of eventually achieving some of one's dreams or perhaps because we take life for granted - we lose the ability to live so deeply. In that sense, "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" - like no other book I have read-  is a wake-up call. 

Perhaps the best compliment I can pay this book is that it made me feel deeply; it made me appreciate what an amazing life I have had with so many amazing fellow players; it reminded me that how we navigate life and how we interact with others is within our control. 

I, for one, hope the game of life I have played so far does not end any time soon.