You know, I'm a little surprised by how many reviews focus so heavily on Sadie and Sam's relationship as the core of 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow'. To me, the real character development hinges on Marx. He starts as this seemingly flat 'best friend' archetype, the wealthy, charismatic counterpart, but Zevin peels him back in such subtle, devastating layers. His growth isn't about changing who he is, but about the quiet, immense weight of his loyalty becoming visible to the reader—and eventually, tragically, to Sam and Sadie. The way he absorbs their creative chaos and reflects back this unwavering support, only to have his own interior life kind of... overlooked by them, is heartbreaking character work. It says so much about how we can be blind to the people holding us together.
I think some readers miss this because they're so caught up in the will-they-won't-they of the two leads. But Marx’s arc transforms the whole book from a story about creative partnership into a deeper meditation on love, grief, and the roles we unconsciously assign to others. His final act isn't a plot twist for shock value; it feels like the inevitable culmination of everything his character had been building toward—a quiet sacrifice rooted in a profound understanding of his friends that they never fully reciprocated. That's where the book’s emotional gut-punch truly lives.