Leaving Tomorrow

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.