Leaving Tomorrow

by David Bergen

From the Giller Prize–winning author of the #1 bestseller The Age of Hope , a thoughtful, tender, often wry novel of growing up and falling in love In the small Alberta town of Tomorrow, young Arthur yearns for a larger life. His father loves horses and good books, while his mother follows practicality and her faith. Bev, his rough-edged brother, chooses action over thought. Arthur lives among them―intelligent, curious, romantic and at odds with his surroundings and his religion. His one ally is his adopted cousin, the fearless Isobel. Their mutual admiration for the land, literature, all things French and each other sustains Arthur. When Bev returns from the Vietnam War emotionally broken, relationships within the family change and tensions arise. With a secret between the brothers, Arthur leaves for Paris, where he pursues his passions for writing and women and begins to claim the life he has always wanted. But dreams and reality don’t always match, and it is only through going away that Arthur learns to appreciate the push and pull of home and love. With his trademark elegant prose and incisive characterizations, David Bergen has created a wise and hopeful character and an emotionally powerful story of being young and finding oneself.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Coming Of Age

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2014

About the author

Born in Port Edward, British Columbia, author David Bergen worked as a writer and high school English teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before gaining a great deal of recognition in Canada when his novel The Time In Between won the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of Canada's most prestigious literary awards. The novel also received a starred review in Kirkus Reviews and was longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award.

Bergen's debut novel, A Year of Lesser, was a New York Times Notable Book, and a winner of the McNally Robinson Book of the Year award in 1997. His 2002 novel The Case of Lena S. was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English language fiction, and won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. It was also a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.

Additionally, Bergen has received the 1993 John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer, and the 2000 Canadian Literary Award for Short Story.

In 2008, he published his fifth novel, The Retreat, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and which won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.

Bergen currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba with his family.

Reviews

[Meg Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay David Bergen, we get it. You read a lot of books. You know a lot of things. You are really, really fond of describing young women's breasts.

David Bergen is obviously a gifted writer. I don't so much read his books as devour them whole, but the problem is that it's almost like binging on candy, i.e. it's empty reading calories.

I found myself often rolling my eyes at Arthur Wohlegmuht, or at the way the women in this book are written. David Bergen writes women in ways that rarely feel entirely fleshed out or real, like they're just caricatures of what the author thinks women must be like. I would say it's just the narrator who doesn't see women as whole people, but after reading almost all of David Bergen's oeuvre, I have to conclude that it's actually the author. What did Arthur actually learn? Did he actually change or grow? I think no, he didn't. He's self-absorbed, self-involved, self-aggrandizing, and just all-around selfish.

If nothing else, I guess this book is a page-turner. There's social commentary about classism smattered throughout. The scene with the lawyer near the end of the novel seems very self-serving and tacked on and unnecessary. And many descriptions of young women's breasts.

[Karrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a slog for me to read. I hated that Arthur remembered his wet nurse, is he omniscient, no just epileptic? No one was likeable or even seemed to grow which is odd for something that is ostensibly a coming of age novel.

The only parts I enjoyed were those touches of Alberta as not many novels are set here. I also liked the inclusion of other writers quotes, which in itself is a telling statement.

[Debbie George · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was beautiful, but I wasn't exactly a fan of the story line.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me, so I decided to give it a try. I'm not sure that I liked it all that much, but it is well-written so therefore I've given it 3 stars. Bergen is a Giller prize winning author for his book The Time In-Between which I read 3 or 4 years ago. There are similarities to this book as Bergen talks about the Vietnam war and he also explores someone who is suffering from post-traumatic stress. He did this in The Time In-Between as well, but I think he did a better job of it then. This book is a coming-of-age novel about young Arthur Wohlegmuht, a young Alberta Mennonite boy. Arthur is a thoughtful young man, but he also has an inflated opinion of his own worth. Rather than looking for and falling in love with real women who live, laugh and cry, he puts all the women he meets on a pedestal and attempts to worship at their feet. As you can imagine this doesn't go well with the women, and Arthur finds himself perpetually being set aside. And does Arthur seem to learn from all this as he travels around Alberta and Paris where he goes to live for a year? No, he doesn't. He doesn't seem to mature or change much at all.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the writing style, story was a bit slow. I like what it brings up about leaving home and what it feels like to try and fit in somewhere else. Relevant to my life being raised in a small town in Alberta and leaving to a place that "has bigger ideas"

[John Whitaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful jaunt into the literary field. So much character in shown in so few words. Arthur would drive me crazy, but Isobel is a gem.

[Elfrieda · Rating 2 out of 5]

A positive is that it was well-written and easy to read.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it. A lot of "ew, no." reactions from me, especially with the sexualizing of the baby main character and his wet nurse, and the incest with the cousin, and really, all of Arthur's many grimy gropings through the book, and his inhuman attitude towards all women. (Arthur's mother was the only woman who seemed like a person in the book, at least we could catch glimpses of her. I'd rather have a story about her, honestly.)

I do enjoy seeing things from other people's perspectives, but this poor guy has no idea of what is important or right and wrong, and just sort of floats through life messing around with various women and romanticizing writers and philosophers, and after a bit I don't really want to be in his head anymore. He'll end up being the verbose old man who is cynical and worldly-wise, trying to make everyone feel that their choices and lives are ignorant and naive when really, he's sad and alone through nothing more than his own poor choices.

[Anneka Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huh, I liked it - apparently not so of the other readers who say that Bergen is flaunting his literary adventures, his numerous accolades, his knowledge of this and that…

To give credit where credit is due, not a single one of the characters were likeable. I do not know whether Bergen meant to do this or not, but I certainly had trouble, although the characters were dimensional and flamboyant, to relate to any. Perhaps my favourite character was the protagonist’s brother Bev who is actually depicted as the dumb cowboy who goes mad.

What I liked about this book was the detail and depth, and perhaps candidness with which the protagonist describes his thoughts. I also enjoyed that the timeline skipped back and forth, with one year of his life often spanning multiple chapters.

It was a beautiful book and I would read it again, definitely Canadian classic status, although perhaps trite at times.

[Janice Forman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this story. Not only did Leaving Tomorrow struggle with a lack of direction in the plot, but the characters were simply not that exciting either. The protagonist, Arthur, was difficult to really like; he was for the most part, self-absorbed and seemed to feel he was better than his family and the people of Tomorrow, Alberta. His quest to find himself in France, where he was certain he would find fame as a gifted writer, simply went nowhere either. If I had to sum up the book, I would simply say it went nowhere!

[Lorina Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't read anything by David Bergen, and you appreciate CanLit, I suggest you look him up. I was introduced to his writing in Leaving Tomorrow, and for this harsh critic the novel ticked all the boxes.

David demonstrates his ability as a writer through his flawless plot, intriguing and believable characters, his attention to environmental and cultural detail, and his use of language. This is a masterful work which examines the profound ties of relationships and social expectations.

Recommended.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book told in the first person. Arthur tells his story from the moment to his birth to about 20 years of age. He is smart and likes books and big words. This does not necessarily endear him to his Alberta country classmates. He makes his way to France to find himself. As with most teenagers he can be tiresome at times but as he likes and quotes from the classic literature there are many interesting quotes to read. This book is a fast and enjoyable read.

[Heather Boundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An emotionally charged story of Arthur, growing up in a small Canadian country town, and dreaming of escaping to Paris and another life as a writer. His mother, a devout Mennonite, his father a horseman on a big property, and his brother who returns mentally scarred from the Vietnam War. Arthur eventually makes it to Paris to find that he dream is not so easily achieved.

[Gail Fenton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 4 star for readability...in fact I loved the characters and pace and couldn’t put it down, but in the end I was wondering what it was really about. Finding oneself? Not nearly deep enough. The women throughout were just not quite on point. Each lacked something. I don’t know ...

[Christy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't write a review with at least a star. I didn't finish this book. I just didn't like it. Didn't like the characters or storyline. I started questioning why I was trying to force myself to read something I wasn't enjoying. So I quit.

[Paul C. Stalder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating and moving, this erudite work of literature captures the essence of growing up. A remarkably Canadian text, Bergen has crafted a new classic for Southern Alberta.

[Deborah Denny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed through the last quarter of it. Very disappointed.

[Wanda Klassen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t know what to make of this book.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young, aspiring writer with no talent leaves his home and his family to live in Paris on a journey of self discovery. Arthur doesn't fit in neither at his home, Tomorrow, Albert among his family and peers nor in Paris, among strangers and 'friends'. But honestly, I didn't like Arthur.

I did like couple of things from this book. I'm going to contradict myself in that I like and dislike the start of the book. Arthur tells the story from his birth to almost death experience when he was a baby and his fond memory of the nurse at the hospital. I find this unrealistic since a person can't possibly remember his/ her birth or even when they were just a year old. But I also find that within fiction, precocious.
I also like the writing style. It reads easily because it flows easily which is a skill.

I didn’t like a few things. Our narrator, Arthur is the main reason, because he lives in self-delusion about his grandeur. He didn’t fit in Tomorrow because unlike his older brother, Bev and his fellow peers he was a bookworm and sure of himself, knew what he like or didn’t like, and had plenty of female attention. I felt like he thought he was better than others. So he leaves his small town to live in Paris to live where writers he admires once lived and wrote. But in Tomorrow and Paris, sexual encounters are prominent storyline in the book as well as his immoral actions. I felt like I was reading a book about an insensitive, immature young man, unfair to his family and his upbringing, frustrating and unlikeable.
I really didn’t understand Arthur’s confession later in the book about the accident because he was not honorable enough to confess about his cheating. This is one of many where his thinking and actions didn’t make sense.
I felt like overall, the depth was missing and the characters were flat. There was nothing unique or stood out for me.

[Pat Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sparity and clarity of the writing in this book really appealed to me. Just the right amount of words to express a clear image both of the characters and what they were experiencing. The author made it very easy for me to imagine what his characters looked like and how they behaved. Rather than a "coming of age" novel, I felt it was more like an autobiography, starting with his birth, and finishing with his becoming an adult with the future spreading before him, having learned how to deal with the future from his experiences and encounters with everyone who had played a major role in his development. It is a very intimate look at the evolution of a boy into an adult, and all the physical and psychological processes that must take place. Bravo, an excellent portrait.

[Brian Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely polished, kinda populist novel, though a good deal more sophisticated than that. I somehow expected it to be inward and introspective (had heard of David Bergen from the Giller prize) and it was to some extent, but it was also very vibrant in its description of the respective worlds of Western Canadian provincial life and wanna-be Parisian bohemian life. A coming-of-age story extending from an austere of Canadian upbringing through a young man's projection of what constitutes refinement and intellectual aesthetic awareness. Found the lustful yearnings squirm-worthy and maybe bourgeois pandering, but I liked the easy flow of the language. It both accessible and technically refined, a combination I always like plus he's from my hometown!

[Niki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leaving Tomorrow is well-written, but at the same time, goes nowhere. In a somewhat disjointed order, Arthur recounts his childhood and life in small town Tomorrow, Alberta and his subsequent meanderings in France. He is a very melancholy character filled with longing and a feeling of never being satisfied or happy. David Bergen is a skilled writer, so I was well into the novel before I realized the plot was rather non-existent and, despite this, I easily finished the book. Just as Arthur seemed to long for something just out of his grasp, I longed for something else in this book, just out of Bergen's grasp.

[Dsinglet · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Bergin has written a memoire of a young man who seems to be unable to "fit" into his life, his relationships or his family. He grows up on an Alberta ranch with a father born to the work. His brother bullies him. His peers tease him because he is more interested in reading and language than in fighting. His mother coddles him until her own mental problems make that relationship difficult.
He leaves to go to Paris to "find himself". He has several romantic relationships and tries to write but mostly feels out of place there too. His journey is one to find his authentic self and reconcil with his family and experiences from the past. A good read but not a great read.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Bergen is a good writer, but I did not love this book. Arthur is self absorbed and selfish and pretty insufferable. He feels like he is too important and clever for his small town life. He feels like once he goes to Paris, he will be writing and having erudite discussing with philosophers. In reality he is teaching English to a small boy and having an affair with a young mother who works in a cafe. His cousin, Isobel, is more interesting and alive than him and tells him that his destiny is back home in Tomorrow.
Nothing much happens and I was left not really caring.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I wasn't crazy about Bergen's latest coming of age story. The protagonist just wasn't a character I could get behind. Set in Tomorrow, Alberta, the novel at first made me laugh as we are introduced to the vane and self absorbed young Arthur. However, as Arthur grew I liked him less and less and his character wasn't redeemed in my opinion. The story did not leave me with any great hope for his future.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bergen is an exquisitely tender writer. He writes of love and how it begins before we think we're aware of its beginning. He writes of yearning, the desire to become more, and of the realization that we cannot outrun ourselves in the end. The writing is sparse, stripped down to its most basic essence, but beneath the surface, there is a depth to Bergen's prose that stays with you long after the last page is read.

[Christine Beevis Trickett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book and to be honest I don't know what it was about. I did not like the protagonist at all and found him patronizing and arrogant. He just didn't seem believable to me. Apologies to those who have liked this novel or gotten more out of it than I have. Then again, perhaps if I had studied this in Can Lit and studied the texts he references throughout, I would have appreciated it more.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canadian author David Bergen's "Leaving Tomorrow" is about growing up, falling in love and the push and pull of home and love and figuring out the "who am I" and "what do I want to be'. I found his 'outsider looking in' sense of himself familiar territory. Set in rural Alberta and Paris this is a reader's book ... you will either love it or hate it. I recently downloaded two more of his books, I'm hooked.

[Katherine Pederson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, although I found the narrator to be a pompous ***.

[Leo Robillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think Maugham, think Dreiser, or more recently, Faulks and Coetzee. Leaving Tomorrow is a coming-of-age story after that grand tradition of the "bildungsroman." If he wasn't known as a writer's writer before, Bergen has certainly earned that epithet now. Leaving Tomorrow proves its own assertion that 'a character (just like a man) makes himself, in spite of eventualities in a meaningless world.'

[Sherry Monger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy reading David Bergen, so I must have missed the big picture on this one. I initially felt a kinship with Arthur who loves language and collects interesting words in lists. However, his penchant for using language to belittle others and make them feel less intelligent, was a real turn off for me. I ended up liking neither Arthur nor the book.