This is a weird novel. It doesn’t fit the normal pattern of fiction where there’s a central conflict. It’s just a story that spans maybe a decade-and-a-half. There’s no major plot point to center around.
It’s the story of two friends who start a video game company. They make their first game, and it’s a huge hit. So the form a company with a third partner, make another game, then another, etc.
A lot of stuff happens over the years. There are romantic plots, some violence, lots of business decisions, some heartbreak, and the video game company develops over time.
And…well, that’s it. I kept waiting for the plot to start – I kept waiting for something significant to happen. Like, in Paper Towns when Margot disappeared, or One of Us Is Lying when the kid died in detention – those are plot points; that became what the books were about and they were something you could anchor around. It gave you a purpose.
There’s nothing like that here. Weirdly, it reminded me of War and Peace. That novel was written in a different time, where there was little plot structure and the story just unfolded over time, then ended. This novel is basically the same way.
I’m conflicted about it. Honestly, I don’t know if I liked it. I finally resigned myself to nothing happening, though I was still waiting all the way up until, like, 98% or 99% (I read it on Kindle).
Then, when it ended, I was thinking, “Well, that hell was the point of all that…?”
Book Info
Author
Gabrielle Zevin
Year
Pages
416
Acquired
I have read this book. According to my records, I completed it on .
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