TOMORROW AND THE NEXT DAY

by Renee Reggiani ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1967

Calabria. ""Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after the day after tomorrow, the day after that."" Never? Antonio Lasala, the young teacher without pupils, come to teach children without a school, wonders while he swats at rats in his pigsty schoolhouse, while he listens to stories Of phantom drummers and death spells--will it always be the same, the lassitude and superstition, the accident of unpropitious birth? But Vito Petrone patches the schoolhouse roof and puts in a window, and he volunteers for the adult education class with his fecund wife Carmela, and Antonio proves to the children that the phantom drummer is an echo, even proves to young Salvatore that his tormentor won't die from Salvatore's inherited incantations. Told primarily in alternating interior monologues that are an extension of the dialogue, a technique rare in juveniles, this may be somewhat difficult for children to follow until the characters are established. Also, concentration on Antonio's aspirations for himself as well as for his pupils, and the fact that most of them are obviously under ten, makes this something of an oddity for the slightly older child who would appreciate the psychological penetration that the style affords. If you foresee an audience, it's worth the effort of introduction.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Coward-McCann

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1967

Categories: FICTION