To provide a very simple summary for those not familiar with the book - "The novel follows the relationship between three friends who begin a successful video game company together." Of course, that comes nowhere close to describing the story that I enjoyed over the past few weeks. Certainly the book is about three close friends who are basically teenagers when they begin working; and certainly the book is about them creating video games. But, invariably, the book is about much much more. It's about people growing up; about the grief one faces in life; about over coming adversity; about love. Really, it's about so many things about being human, which is what made it such an engaging read.
What I think I enjoyed most about the book was that it was able to face all those topics above, while offering a straightforward and engaging storyline at the same time. The characters were interesting and deep. The book had plenty of thoughtful and bright dialogue (always a personal favorite for me). And, while the book likely could be enjoyed by a person of any background, much of the book does focus on video games and their creation. I found the specifics and details offered there just as fascinating as when the book pivots to conversations about death of love.
As much I enjoyed this book, and I really did, I thought it useful to check out what others did not enjoy. And while it does have an impressive 4.4/5 rating on Amazon, you can always head over to Reddit to see what others disliked. And, it was a variety of things. Some complain that the first half was much better than the second (I don't disagree; though the first half is also all the good stuff and way up, so things had to come back down). Some thought it was too unrealistic - again, I can see where they are coming from and understand this argument, especially in the context of how real the rest of the book was written. However, it's a book of fiction and if there weren't big twists or surprising elements, I'm not sure it'd be that interesting of a read. Also, many people thought some of the characters were either not believable or just annoying. There is truth there too, and I think they were designed that way. And, I think that added great depth to the story.
I hope clear by now, and certainly from the rating, that this one of my favorite books I've read in a while. I really struggled to put it down, but at the same time, tried to savor it knowing it would end soon. In fact, it reminds me a great deal of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch (review here). Both books are really fun reads with great characters and a great story. I do recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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