Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun

A Survivor's Guilt Story

De: Mark L. Berry

Narrado por: Mark L. Berry, Alison Leston, Christopher Madden

When Oso is yanked off his motorcycle and killed by a closed parking lot chain, Billy feels guilty for having taught him to hop curbs and shortcut traffic lights. Billy's survivor's guilt drags him down a spiral of excessive alcohol, reckless driving, one-night stands, and body painting. He's now all too aware that life is short - play hard.

Meanwhile, Oso's former girlfriend, Lindy, pours her grief into her new folk-rock album as she struggles with whether she can ever let herself love again. Can she turn this personal tragedy into something meaningful through her music?

Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun explores survivor's guilt and grief through reckless adventure, a dozen original songs, and fiction. When you've lost someone you love, there are no easy answers.

This novel is intended for adults. It includes some graphic language, sexual situations, and questionable behavior. Recovery from intense loss is a rough road - 100 miles-per-hour on two wheels with no regard for oncoming traffic, as an example.

The story is told from the alternating points of view from Billy (the author), Lindy (Alison Leston), and Dog (Christopher Madden); and each additional character is voiced by a full cast of 36 voice actors.

Welcome to my world of musical fiction.

Cheers, Mark L. Berry

©2012 Mark L. Berry (P)2015 Mark L. Berry

Insightful exploration of loss, grief, and recovery

If you could sum up Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun in three words, what would they be?

Loss, grief, recovery

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun?

The initial loss of Oso (and how this happens) is a strong hook into the story.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Music!

If you could rename Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun, what would you call it?

I love the name. Wouldn't change it.

Any additional comments?

In Pushing Leaves Toward the Sun, Berry has taken a personal loss and turned it into an insightful exploration of what it means to grieve—and to move on. This story is very emotionally engaging, and the creative musical narrative that accompanies it only deepens the connection to the writing. This is a great read/listen for anyone dealing with loss…or just anyone period.

One of a Kind

Mark L. Berry does an incredible job using both comedy and masterful imagery to demonstrate both the high and low roads of grief. The depth of character development and the tension that takes place between the main characters who are dealing with the same loss show a stark and meaningful contrast in the ways that different people handle hardship. I would recommend this book to a friend and plan to gift it this year to several friends and family members.