Falling on the Bright Side

by Michael Gray

In “Falling on the Bright Side”, social worker Larry Whitton watches as his livelihood, family life, and self-esteem all slip away. But new opportunities will open–if Larry can risk taking them—-through collaboration with psychologist Bill Foster, whose stroke has prevented him from continuing his counseling practice. If Larry, who is blind to the opportunities of life, and Bill, whose stroke has robbed him of his ability to work independently, were to join their strengths and weaknesses . . .
The situations in this story mirror those of many disabled and elderly in our society, who are carted off to nursing homes once they cannot keep up the pace.
“Falling on the Bright Side”, Gray’s third book, draws on two decades working with “Friends in Time”—a non-profit he co-founded with friend and ALS-victim Foster Hall—to serve others with neuromuscular diseases. Their real world collaboration is the inspiration for this work of fiction

334 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

http://michaelgrayauthor.com/about-au...

Reviews

[Michael Gray]

This is my new book and I am trying to get it up on Goodreads. Wish me luck.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Whitten is haunted by the death of his brother many years ago and the resulting effects on his family--his parent's divorce and the feeling of being abandoned by his father. At the beginning of the novel, Larry is suffering from depression and a sense of ineffectiveness. His career goals seem unattainable, and he is distancing himself from his job (and unpleasant boss) and from his family.

In many ways, the book feels like a parable or exemplum. Sometimes it slips into the overly sentimental and mawkish; sometimes it pulls itself back. Larry is often an annoying protagonist, but that is not to say that he doesn't ring true, especially in his passive states. I did find the messages about the way society warehouses the elderly and the disabled addresses concerns we all have. And the author does have experience in the field.

From the author: "My new novel, Falling on the Bright Side, draws directly on my experience working with the disabled. Falling tells the story of people who have been shelved in nursing home warehouses who have lost their value to society, and explores how the human dimension continues to shine in these human beings."--Michael Gray

NetGalley/ABQ Press

Contemporary Fiction. 2014. Print length: 305 pages.

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great characters. It is a very interesting read and the Author has done an outstanding job. The book will keep you riveted to it.

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful, engaging, thought-provoking, well written story became a learning tool for my personal and professional life. I am a nurse and my mother has Dementia and now lives in a nursing home. Unlike boring text book learning; this story and its characters spoke to my heart and my mind. Although fictional characters the author drew from his experience working with the disabled and the characters were believable and real.

After I finished the book I read the author’s bio and followed the link for “Friends in Time” and found an interesting article. Now I think Phillip is based on the author and Bill is based on his friend Foster. Wonder if I am right :)

Here are the links:

http://www.michaelgrayauthor.com/auth...

http://www.michaelgrayauthor.com/arti...

Now on to some of my favourite characters, parts/quotes from the story:

Bill

Bill is a psychologist. I respected and was amazed at his strength of character and perseverance. Chapter 5 is told from Bill’s POV after his stroke and is AMAZING!

Here is the beginning of the chapter:

“Whisperings, colours, drifting mists: spiraling intimations of an unformed world swirled around him. Sheets of sensation, bright, billowing spinnakers blown loose from their masts, circumambulated in a beautiful dance. A blissful comfort rained down like leaves from some forgotten autumn.
He felt as if the essence of a Great Oneness had absorbed him and that he was awash in its vastness. Diving into luminescent oceanic depths, all boundaries dissolved. With no surfaces to bang into, to inhibit the flow…who would ever want to return to…return to…”

Larry

Larry is a therapist and suffers from depression, has unresolved long term issues, and struggles with making the right decisions for himself personally and professionally. He stumbles and falls, makes some stupid decisions (in my opinion) but gets back up and tries again. I liked him because he is human.

He impressed me with his compassion towards the residents living in the institution he works at:

“You could talk about the isolation, losses, and low self-esteem experienced by people in nursing homes. If any group can use some one-on-one time with a friendly listener who is willing to talk with them about their problems, it’s people who have to end their days in an institution.”

Larry is honest with himself:

“Then, like a plunge into ice water, he could not escape the truth. He had allowed himself once again to become isolated from the only world that mattered, where people lived and died, and where they needed someone else to care which one it was.”

Phillip

Phillip is one of Bill’s patients. At first meeting he comes across as a little odd. But Phillip grew on me (and Larry). His perception of time, life, and insight into people is something we can all learn from:

Larry asked Philip: “Don’t we always have a door into the future? Isn’t that exactly what the present moment is---a doorway into the future?”

Philip answered: “But the future we usually get is a continuation of the past. Past conditioning pushes toward a future that is what we expect to find there. But this particular moment in time may be offering us a future that is more alive, more full of fresh possibilities. To find out what this future is offering, we have to walk through a doorway into the unknown. I think of this moment as opening to a greater time, a time in which the past, the present, and the future are not broken into three pieces like a shattered mirror.”

“The world is rolling at our feet whether we are aware of it or not. But when we become aware, then we can be present for everyone else who is along for the ride.”

“As Larry might have guessed, Phillip related his remarks to time: by reconciling with the past, possibilities would open in the future, and these possibilities would then allow a living time to surface fully in the present”.

Although I only talked about three of the characters, I enjoyed ALL of them and each one’s contribution to the story is meaningful. A memorable book that will stay with me always.

Please note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will take you through one man's personal journey as he relates the events of his life to his experiences while working in a care home.

This is a good read about learning to look inward.

I was fortunate to receive a complimentary copy of this book through GoodReads First Reads