This Time Tomorrow: A Novel

by Michael Jaime-Becerra

Winner of an International Latino Book Award for Best Novel!

Gilbert Gaeta, a forklift operator in a dairy, can barely make payments on the house where he lives with his thirteen-year-old daughter, Ana. When a month of overtime shifts comes his way, he begins to envision a new life, one in which he can save enough money for an engagement ring and finally propose to his girlfriend, Joyce. He works the night shift, exhausted but making good money, and it's looking like his plan will work. Then Ana is chased home from the Laundromat by bullies, and she begins pushing him to buy a washer and dryer. Gilbert tries to stay firm, but when Ana's trouble follows her to school, the pressure mounts to put her first, and delay his future with Joyce.

Joyce, who at thirty-six has never lived on her own, can't move out of her father's traditional Mexican house until she is married. Feeling her life with Gilbert slipping away, she starts to despair. And then one day, standing before her impressive collection of vintage purses, she sees a way to take control of her future. But it won't be easy.

Writing from three distinct and equally moving perspectives, award-winning author Michael Jaime-Becerra tells a story about the painful balance between love and responsibility. An intimate and poignant first novel, This Time Tomorrow casts a new light on Southern California's working class and its struggles for happiness.

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 2010

About the author

Michael Jaime-Becerra grew up in El Monte, California, a working-class suburb of Los Angeles. He received his MFA from the University of California, Irvine, and currently teaches creative writing at University of California, Riverside. His short-story collection, Every Night Is Ladies’ Night, was named one of the best of the year by The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. It was awarded a California Book Award, the Silver Medal for a First Work of Fiction. Michael is a winner of an International Latino Book Award. He lives in El Monte, California.

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I picked this up because I enjoyed Jaime-Becerra's first book, Every Night is Lady's Night, so much. There's a very similar feel to this book, of working class first and second generation Mexican Americans living in El Monte, and the family ties that bind their communities together. However, compared to his first book, the range of characters feels sparser, less fully detailed, almost like this was his first effort, and the interrelated short stories of Every Night is Lady's Night his second, rather than the other way around. I also didn't quite buy Gaeta and Joyce's happy ending. Ana's section of the book definitely felt rushed compared to the first two sections of the book, and I wish her part of the book was longer and went more into detail on her day-to-day life and motivations..

Half a star just for Temple City playing a teeny tiny role in this. I don't think I've ever seen my hometown's name in print in a fiction book, so that was exciting for me. :)

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not real invested in this book’s plot or characters. I found myself asking myself where is this going several times and putting it aside and reading other books. I read several books of different genres at one time and if I find myself putting down a book a lot and not wanting to come back to it then it is not for me. I would not have picked this to read on my own and probably wouldn’t have finished it if it had not been picked for book club. I very rarely don’t finish a book I start but I do have a few in a I will get back to them later pile. I may see more in this book once we discuss it in book club because that is one of the wonderful things about book clubs is they bring insight to a book you may not have seen I hope they do because I may be generous giving this one a 3 star. Sorry.

[Robert Natale · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this is what happened. "This Time Tomorrow" was on my "Want To Read" list. About 85% of the book read-----when it occured to me to ask myself-----"Why?"
Well------it wasn't this book on my list at all. It was a book by this title by Emma Straub.
I hope, Mr. Becerra, that you are not as disappointed with my rating----as I was to discover that it was the wrong book.
A waste of time.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I could be fascinated by purses, but here we are. It's a very emotional book that takes you deep into the hearts of the characters.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think that this novel is propelled by its characters more than anything, particularly because the plot moves very slowly toward its climactic moment. that said, i found two of the three characters very frustrating because of their inability to take control over their lives.

the author gives the male protagonist, gilbert gaeta, a very complex inner life, but he is a pretty stagnant character. to say that he has poor communication skills would be an extreme understatement, and perhaps because of this, he isn't prone to ACT on his desires. i felt that, similarly, joyce, the adult female protagonist, needed to be more active in her own life. she does more than gilbert (at least she tries to move her purse collection), but, ultimately, she remains "stuck" well into her 40s in her childhood home with her physically and verbally abusive father. the problem with both of these characters is that they use familial obligations as an excuse to not move forward in their own lives. while externally that might seem commendable, in this novel, it seems tragic.

the only character who seems to take control of her life is gilbert's daughter, ana. her narrative was what gave the story some punch at the end of the novel. she's not very likable, but she's interesting and i would have liked the other characters to be more like her in terms of action.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a voice! This book perfectly captures the essence of the working class San Gabriel Valley and its rich diversity. I know the area well. The story revolves around the relationship between a dad, his teen daughter and his girlfriend. The characters are very well fleshed out. I highly reccomend this book and Michael Jaime-Becerra's collection of interwoven short stories "Every Night is Ladies Night" as well. (Also set in the San Gabriel Valley) I would have given This Time Tomorrow five stars except the time transisions in the novel seemed a little awkward to me.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just saw him read this in LA, I love the way he can evoke tremendous tenderness for his characters in ways so subtle I have to reread on the page to figure out how he does it. Very simple, full of heart. The precariousness of ordinary lives, and the courage of ordinary people to live them.

[John Valdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters.
They are characters I have not frequently read about in my lifetime of reading.
They are characters with whom I closely relate.