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Things Behind the Sun: A novel
Martin Gregory believes he has one last shot at emotionally connecting with the son he adopted seventeen years ago from the only woman he ever loved. A long road trip, he believes, could be the answer. But the boy has other ideas as the two of them navigate the past and contemplate the future during a summer journey through the American West. The trip uncovers long-held secrets—both Martin's and his son's—and becomes an exploration of whether the deep emotions that brought them together in the first place are more important than what could tear them apart. Things Behind the Sun is an inspired coming-of-age story about the powerful, complicated, yet enduring bond between fathers and sons.
REVIEWS:
"Beautifully and patiently rendered, Things Behind the Sun is a meditative and empathic exploration of fate, family, and finding one's way. David W. Berner has created a vast emotional landscape as vibrant and expansive as its Pacific Northwest backdrop." —Claire Lombardo, author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had
“Things Behind the Sun is full of pathos and wisdom. Deep friendships and the complexity of family are the binding glues that hold this exquisitely told story together.” —Shawn Shiflett, author of Hey, Liberal!
“Powerful…emotionally charged…an intricately connected, lyrical and moving story.” —Veryan Williams-Wynn, author of The Spirit Trap
"A captivating exploration of identity. Things Behind the Sun reveals there is no chasm of secrets large enough that a summer road trip can't bridge." —Michelle Burwell, Windy City Reviews
“Things Behind the Sun is a wonderfully realized story of love, devotion, and coming to terms with one's heritage and life commitments.” —Floyd Sullivan, author of Called Out: A Novel of 1908
REVIEWS:
"Beautifully and patiently rendered, Things Behind the Sun is a meditative and empathic exploration of fate, family, and finding one's way. David W. Berner has created a vast emotional landscape as vibrant and expansive as its Pacific Northwest backdrop." —Claire Lombardo, author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had
“Things Behind the Sun is full of pathos and wisdom. Deep friendships and the complexity of family are the binding glues that hold this exquisitely told story together.” —Shawn Shiflett, author of Hey, Liberal!
“Powerful…emotionally charged…an intricately connected, lyrical and moving story.” —Veryan Williams-Wynn, author of The Spirit Trap
"A captivating exploration of identity. Things Behind the Sun reveals there is no chasm of secrets large enough that a summer road trip can't bridge." —Michelle Burwell, Windy City Reviews
“Things Behind the Sun is a wonderfully realized story of love, devotion, and coming to terms with one's heritage and life commitments.” —Floyd Sullivan, author of Called Out: A Novel of 1908
- GenresFiction
194 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2020
About the author
David W. Berner
28 books94 followersDavid W. Berner is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, author, and teacher. As a writer, he has been the recipient of awards from the prestigious Society of Midland Authors and the Chicago Writers Association. David has more than forty years experience in broadcast journalism as a reporter, anchor, news director, and program director. He has contributed to the CBS Radio Network and to public radio stations around the country, including NPR’s Weekend edition.
David has also performed live literature readings at 2nd Story, Essay Fiesta, Waterline Writers, and Sunday Salon. And regularly conducts workshops on writing and memoir.
David has also performed live literature readings at 2nd Story, Essay Fiesta, Waterline Writers, and Sunday Salon. And regularly conducts workshops on writing and memoir.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 18, 2020
When is a road book not a road book? When is a story a journey but also the journey is the story? Is the road being traveled the key or is just traveling on a road the key?
This book leaves the reader with many interpretive questions. Undoubtedly this book shines as a stunning modern Kerouac. Written by a gifted author this book simply flows like a river running its natural course.
This is a book about Chase and his journey. This is also a book about Martin and his journey, Emily and her journey, Madison and her journey and in some ways Huck and his journey. It is impossible to assign value to which journey is more important. All of them intersect.
The reader is left with the indelible concept that life is the journey. If you face questions about life, read this book. This can't help but take your mind off your issues and even show that the important part is simply carrying on.
A book for every fan of Kerouac and every person who ever needed to just take a ride.
My Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Mr. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
This book leaves the reader with many interpretive questions. Undoubtedly this book shines as a stunning modern Kerouac. Written by a gifted author this book simply flows like a river running its natural course.
This is a book about Chase and his journey. This is also a book about Martin and his journey, Emily and her journey, Madison and her journey and in some ways Huck and his journey. It is impossible to assign value to which journey is more important. All of them intersect.
The reader is left with the indelible concept that life is the journey. If you face questions about life, read this book. This can't help but take your mind off your issues and even show that the important part is simply carrying on.
A book for every fan of Kerouac and every person who ever needed to just take a ride.
My Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Mr. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
April 7, 2020
I loved this story, and I loved the characters. Chase is a seventeen-year-old boy with the customary baggage of many boys that age, but more so because he has been raised by Martin. Martin is not Chase's father, but had been a close friend of his mother, who died shortly after Chase was born, asking Martin to adopt and raise her son. Martin is a good guy, and has done so to the best of his ability, sacrificing some of his personal ambitions. He has told Chase the circumstances of his birth, but Chase, and the reader, suspect there is more to know.
In the summer prior to Chase's final year in high school, Chase and Martin embark on an open-ended road trip, with no particular destination in mind. The stated purpose was for Martin and his adopted son to repair the bonds that have come between them. Chase agrees to go with Martin, but he has an agenda that has nothing to do with the roads traveled, and, it turns out, so does Martin.
As the two drive through much of Western United States, Berner lets you into the point of view not only of Chase and Martin but also of other minor characters. The book is so good because the reader cares deeply about both characters, and because we understand their goodness as well as their faults, and love them for both. We can easily put ourselves into the place of either character and root for him. Minor characters are treated with the same sensitivity.
Read Things Behind the Sun. You won't be sorry.
In the summer prior to Chase's final year in high school, Chase and Martin embark on an open-ended road trip, with no particular destination in mind. The stated purpose was for Martin and his adopted son to repair the bonds that have come between them. Chase agrees to go with Martin, but he has an agenda that has nothing to do with the roads traveled, and, it turns out, so does Martin.
As the two drive through much of Western United States, Berner lets you into the point of view not only of Chase and Martin but also of other minor characters. The book is so good because the reader cares deeply about both characters, and because we understand their goodness as well as their faults, and love them for both. We can easily put ourselves into the place of either character and root for him. Minor characters are treated with the same sensitivity.
Read Things Behind the Sun. You won't be sorry.
May 15, 2020
Carefully and believably crafted story of a memorable man and his son. It's the author's attention to detail and, more importantly, to inner emotions that make this story as special as it is. David Berner travels deep into the depths of the human psyche and really explores what makes the characters tick. Most readers can relate to some part of the emotional elements of the story. There is young unrequited love...there is an honest and binding love...there are characters who are real and flawed...and everything centers on the love between a father and son and the journey their lives take them on.
April 3, 2020
‘Martin had come to measure his life…in time rather than in distance’ – A road trip
Having read and been deeply moved by David's ANY ROAD WILL TAKE YOU THERE, this reader wrote the following: ‘Chicago author David W. Berner has been around the block - he is an award-winning journalist, writer, documentarian, and an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago where he teaches Writing for Radio, Radio Storytelling, and Radio/Audio Documentary in the Radio Department at CCC. His essays and his books are highly respected and highly consumed. His honors includes Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando, Florida, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, Illinois, and has been recognized for his literary and artistic achievements by the Chicago Public Library Foundation at the 2016 Carl Sandburg Literary Awards. In his words, `I first experienced how important a writing space could be when I was given the opportunity to be the writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida. It's the modest home he lived with his mother after all the attention of On the Road, and where he wrote The Dharma Bums. The three-month experience of writing in such a revered place, allowed for a renewed attention to "place" in a story. Setting can be as much a character in a work as the voices heard in those spaces. When I started writing Any Road Will Take You There: A Journey of Fathers and Sons, my memoir of a 5000-mile road trip and the struggles and triumphs of fatherhood, I rediscovered the importance of space, setting, and place. Where the story happens, why it happens in that location, in that house, on that road is crucial to the story. Each of the stops along the long journey in Any Road Will Take You There evokes a memory, a moment that fuels the trip and the story. Just like the places where I write, the places in my stories have meaning, something true and honest and revealing.'
Equally impressed with A WELL-RESPECTED MAN, this reader consumed David’s new novel THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, a follow up to that book, and found it equally impressive, that rare combination of involving story with philosophical questions of how we travel through life with the many interruptions and split second decisions that alter our journey. As the synopsis distills: `Gregory Martin believes he has one last shot at emotionally connecting with the son he adopted seventeen years ago from the only woman he ever loved. A long road trip could be the answer. But the boy has other ideas as the two of them navigate the past and contemplate the future during a summer journey through the American West. The trip uncovers long-held secrets—both Martin's and his son's—and becomes an exploration of whether the deep emotions that brought them together in the first place are more important than what could tear them apart. Things Behind the Sun is an inspired coming-of-age story about the powerful, complicated yet enduring bond between fathers and sons...'
An element that is a constant in David's writing is his enormous sense of humanity. He is as much a philosopher of the porch swing variety as anyone writing today. Read, smile, think, read again and enjoy. Highly Recommended.
Having read and been deeply moved by David's ANY ROAD WILL TAKE YOU THERE, this reader wrote the following: ‘Chicago author David W. Berner has been around the block - he is an award-winning journalist, writer, documentarian, and an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago where he teaches Writing for Radio, Radio Storytelling, and Radio/Audio Documentary in the Radio Department at CCC. His essays and his books are highly respected and highly consumed. His honors includes Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando, Florida, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, Illinois, and has been recognized for his literary and artistic achievements by the Chicago Public Library Foundation at the 2016 Carl Sandburg Literary Awards. In his words, `I first experienced how important a writing space could be when I was given the opportunity to be the writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida. It's the modest home he lived with his mother after all the attention of On the Road, and where he wrote The Dharma Bums. The three-month experience of writing in such a revered place, allowed for a renewed attention to "place" in a story. Setting can be as much a character in a work as the voices heard in those spaces. When I started writing Any Road Will Take You There: A Journey of Fathers and Sons, my memoir of a 5000-mile road trip and the struggles and triumphs of fatherhood, I rediscovered the importance of space, setting, and place. Where the story happens, why it happens in that location, in that house, on that road is crucial to the story. Each of the stops along the long journey in Any Road Will Take You There evokes a memory, a moment that fuels the trip and the story. Just like the places where I write, the places in my stories have meaning, something true and honest and revealing.'
Equally impressed with A WELL-RESPECTED MAN, this reader consumed David’s new novel THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, a follow up to that book, and found it equally impressive, that rare combination of involving story with philosophical questions of how we travel through life with the many interruptions and split second decisions that alter our journey. As the synopsis distills: `Gregory Martin believes he has one last shot at emotionally connecting with the son he adopted seventeen years ago from the only woman he ever loved. A long road trip could be the answer. But the boy has other ideas as the two of them navigate the past and contemplate the future during a summer journey through the American West. The trip uncovers long-held secrets—both Martin's and his son's—and becomes an exploration of whether the deep emotions that brought them together in the first place are more important than what could tear them apart. Things Behind the Sun is an inspired coming-of-age story about the powerful, complicated yet enduring bond between fathers and sons...'
An element that is a constant in David's writing is his enormous sense of humanity. He is as much a philosopher of the porch swing variety as anyone writing today. Read, smile, think, read again and enjoy. Highly Recommended.
May 17, 2020
Martin adopted his son Chase seventeen years ago when the woman he loved died. Although he tried his best, the relationship between father and son is strained. Martin believes a road trip could solve their problems, but Chase is indecisive about his future. Will he run? Or will the two finally reconnect?
This book is an emotional coming of age story that emphasizes the struggle of growing up and understanding who you are. Chase doesn't have the full picture of who his birth parents were and, as a result, feels incomplete. This foundation of the book makes a great setting for the story. It sets up the journey of self-discovery Chase goes on with Martin.
The moments of awkwardness and uncertainty between the two bring the characters to life and makes it easier to relate to the story. The dynamic between father and son is realistic and, the natural progression the two make with each other through the chapters sets a great pace for the book.
There is quite a significant plot twist later in the book that I loved. I thought it inspired a lot more emotional investment and, it makes you feel for the characters. The ability the author has to convey the emotions of the characters is intense. It does, however, help emphasize the self-discovery aspect of the book and helps you connect to the story.
The ending of the book is satisfying, and the story gets wrapped up nicely. The remaining questions are answered, and you're left with the idea that the characters have grown and matured on their journey. I definitely recommend reading Things Behind The Sun because it's a brilliant coming of age story.
This book is an emotional coming of age story that emphasizes the struggle of growing up and understanding who you are. Chase doesn't have the full picture of who his birth parents were and, as a result, feels incomplete. This foundation of the book makes a great setting for the story. It sets up the journey of self-discovery Chase goes on with Martin.
The moments of awkwardness and uncertainty between the two bring the characters to life and makes it easier to relate to the story. The dynamic between father and son is realistic and, the natural progression the two make with each other through the chapters sets a great pace for the book.
There is quite a significant plot twist later in the book that I loved. I thought it inspired a lot more emotional investment and, it makes you feel for the characters. The ability the author has to convey the emotions of the characters is intense. It does, however, help emphasize the self-discovery aspect of the book and helps you connect to the story.
The ending of the book is satisfying, and the story gets wrapped up nicely. The remaining questions are answered, and you're left with the idea that the characters have grown and matured on their journey. I definitely recommend reading Things Behind The Sun because it's a brilliant coming of age story.
May 2, 2020
I was intrigued, just reading the blurb. Human relationships can be so tangled and complicated, and it is always interesting to get a peek behind the curtain, into the depths of someone's mind.
Martin adopted Chase as a baby from the love of Martin's life. After their relationship was over, his love became pregnant by a new boyfriend, but she soon learned she would not live to raise the baby and did not want the child's biological father involved.
This sets up quite a tangled web. Martin has, over the years, been sharing bits and pieces of the past with him...leaving now 17-year-old Chase feeling like a boat without a rudder.
Martin has his own set of issues to wrestle with. This child, who is not his biological child, caused a U-turn in his life that he hadn't planned on. He had given everything up for this child of the woman he had once loved. He had no idea who he was anymore. Can he find his way back?
Can a summer road trip help the two of them close the gap between them, or will it all come crashing down around them? If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall, getting a look into someone else's life, read this book. You'll be rooting for both of them to find their way home.
Martin adopted Chase as a baby from the love of Martin's life. After their relationship was over, his love became pregnant by a new boyfriend, but she soon learned she would not live to raise the baby and did not want the child's biological father involved.
This sets up quite a tangled web. Martin has, over the years, been sharing bits and pieces of the past with him...leaving now 17-year-old Chase feeling like a boat without a rudder.
Martin has his own set of issues to wrestle with. This child, who is not his biological child, caused a U-turn in his life that he hadn't planned on. He had given everything up for this child of the woman he had once loved. He had no idea who he was anymore. Can he find his way back?
Can a summer road trip help the two of them close the gap between them, or will it all come crashing down around them? If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall, getting a look into someone else's life, read this book. You'll be rooting for both of them to find their way home.
April 3, 2020
'Things Behind the Sun', is an emotionally charged story, set amongst stunning American scenery. It follows the struggle between an angst-ridden teenager's bid for the freedom to find himself and a honourable man coming to terms with letting his son go after fulfilling a promise to a dying friend. This lyrical and moving story is a must for anyone who has read Berner's, 'A Well Respected Man' - however, that said, Things Behind The Sun is a stand alone book, and highly recommended.
Read
April 4, 2020Things Behind the Sun is a wonderfully realized story of love, devotion, and coming to terms with one's heritage and life commitments. The harsh but pure topography of the American West is lovingly described and deftly employed as metaphor for the landscapes of the characters' inner selves. A sequel to Berner's award winning A Well Respected Man, but a wonderful self-contained read on it's own.
August 21, 2020
When you really work at a story, you tend to fall in love with it. That's what I did writing this book. I hope you love it as much as I do.
The story comes on the heels of my award-winning novel A Well-Respected Man. It is not a sequel, but a standalone story. However, it is a companion book, continuing the story of a father and a son, and long-held family secrets.
The most wonderful part of writing this book was revisiting the American West. The road trip the father and son embark on comes out of my own personal travels, and writing about those wonderful places brought them back to life for me.
Thank you for reading. And consider A Well-Respected Man, also. It will pull together new chapters in the story of this father and his son.
David
The story comes on the heels of my award-winning novel A Well-Respected Man. It is not a sequel, but a standalone story. However, it is a companion book, continuing the story of a father and a son, and long-held family secrets.
The most wonderful part of writing this book was revisiting the American West. The road trip the father and son embark on comes out of my own personal travels, and writing about those wonderful places brought them back to life for me.
Thank you for reading. And consider A Well-Respected Man, also. It will pull together new chapters in the story of this father and his son.
David
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews