Oh, that novel absolutely gutted me in the best way. It's a story about creative partnership, told across decades, starting with two kids, Sam and Sadie, who bond over video games in a hospital. The plot isn't really about building a game studio or industry success, even though that's the vehicle. It’s about their messy, profound, and sometimes devastating friendship. They found a company called Unfair Games and make this hit title, 'Ichigo'—a game that’s central to the whole book. But the real drama is all in the spaces between them: the miscommunications, the love that isn't quite romantic, the betrayals, and the ways they keep orbiting each other through tragedy and triumph. The book asks if creating something beautiful together can ever repair a personal rupture.
It also digs deep into the physical and emotional tolls of life. Sam's chronic pain from the accident that first brought them together is a constant thread. There's a third major character, Marx, Sam's roommate, who becomes the heart of their company, and his fate is one of the most brutal narrative turns I've read in years. The plot follows them from the 90s through the 2000s, through failed projects and comebacks, but it’s always rooted in character. The ending left me staring at a wall for a good twenty minutes, just processing the sheer weight of time and missed chances.