Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Thomas Sweterlitsch

4.0

This book takes place in a world where Pittsburgh has been nuked by a terrorist. Pittsburgh is now a radioactive wasteland. John Dominic Blaxton was at a conference in Ohio when the bomb went off. His wife and unborn daughter were killed. Technology allows him to relive the last moments of the Steel City. He can see, through the pervasive video footage available before the explosion, what his wife was doing and experience her last moments.

People have electronics installed directly in their brains for 24/7 access to the internet. Through this, you are bombarded with ads so the Internet has 24/7 access to you. This connection is what allows the Pittsburgh survivors to access Pittsburgh as it was. For Dominic, this is frequent, as his job of confirming deaths for an insurance company requires this.

Dominic is a depressed drug addict who spends too much time in the past. He becomes infatuated with solving the murder of an unknown woman that he discovers while in the Pittsburgh Archive. The story is part mystery, part cyberpunk and has a David Lynch (think Blue Velvet) feel to it.

I grew up north of Pittsburgh and went to college in Pittsburgh. The places mentioned – Oakland, Carnegie Mellon, Shadyside, the Strip– are all places that I know. That scored this book extra points. But, even if you aren't from the 'burgh, it's still a good read. There is a lot of food for thought in this book concerning privacy vs public access that is well on its way to becoming all too real.