Written by Gabrielle Zevin in 2022
Review: Zevin displays incredible skill at filling in the details of characters’ lives, and TTT could be convincingly passed off as a biography. The novel is incredibly sad at times, and Sam and Sadie are constantly in conflict over issues that are frustrating to watch yet understandable for their ages. Their tragedies and miscommunications alike feel authentic (I’m used to these situations being forced and used just to generate reader sympathy or unnecessary tension), and I’m glad that things don’t work out perfectly in the end. TTT kept me immersed in its main characters and was difficult to put down.
Aside from one chapter that narrates from within the perspective of a game, and a little too much internal dialogue early on lamenting that real people are so much more complicated than virtual ones, Zevin generally did not romanticize the video game backdrop of the story. Her writing suggests ample research on both the industry and insight into the challenges of publishing creative work. My mom and I enjoyed the book equally despite our opposite levels of knowledge on video games, and I’d even call it educational.
Strengths:
Every character is fleshed out, and their relationships are organic.
Zevin skillfully bounces a bit in time, allowing the reader to appreciate what both main characters were feeling in a particular moment.
Weaknesses:
The very end is sappy and unnecessary, with the emotional ending hitting a few pages prior.
Again, nobody thinks like this: “...and Sam tried to figure out a way to make her stop. If this were a game, he could hit pause. He could restart, say different things, the right ones this time.”
Rating: 19/20 Donkey Kong stages
Ideal Setting: Read this when you’re curious about the blood, sweat, and tears that went into a masterpiece.
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