This was a book that it was impossible to rush through. Normally when I get really into a book, I want to read it quickly because I'm enjoying it so much, but I found myself slowing down in order to savour this one. Sadie, Sam and Marx are a trio that work perfectly together, both within the plot and as fictional characters. Their story held me captive from start to finish as I cheered their successes and wept for their failures. They leapt off the page and sprung into life and when I was away from them, I found myself wondering what they were getting up to.
One of the things I loved about this book was that it kept me guessing the whole way through. Every time I thought I could tell what was going to happen, Zevin subverted my expectations and took the plot in a different direction, until it eventually circled back around to my original expectation, but fulfilled in a way I hadn't expected.
Much of the plot centres around the creation of video games and as someone who has zero interest in them, I was surprised to discover that some of my favourite parts of the book were the ones which were centred around events in the games Sadie and Sam create. However, there was one stand-out passage where the writing was quite simply, exquisite. I can't go into too much detail as it would give away a major plot point. However, suffice to say, it described something that very few, if any, people experience and truly remember. It was heartbreakingly beautiful and so well explained that I was utterly convinced of its authenticity. Zevin's writing is truly wonderful.
At its core, the book is about love. Not romance. Love. In all its forms and all its beauty. It celebrates the vulnerability that love brings with it and the powerful transformative effect it has on people's lives. More than that, it is a celebration of friendship.