Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s
by Mark Elberfeld
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Pub Date 16 Dec 2025 | Archive Date 21 Jan 2026
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Description
What do sour cherries, a subway reprimand in Moscow, and an imaginary alligator named Fluffy have in common? In Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s, Mark Elberfeld invites readers on a deeply personal—and often unexpectedly funny—journey through memory, movement, and meaning.
From a seventh-grade retreat on the Mattaponi River to the surreal vastness of a Buc-ee’s gas station, Elberfeld traces the threads of identity, place, and connection. Whether he’s reflecting on summer camp, road trips in an electric car, the quiet radicalism of hospitality, or a friend’s hauntingly beautiful art show, his essays linger in that liminal space between the ordinary and the profound.
With humor, honesty, and a teacher’s instinct for drawing meaning from mess, Elberfeld explores what it means to leave, to return, to remember, and to reframe. For anyone who’s ever found themselves crying in a parking lot, questioning the shape of freedom, or chasing summer like a white whale—this book might just be the life ring you didn’t know you needed.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"In Mark Elberfeld's Sour Cherries, we meet something to relish: an unrelenting mind on the page. Here, we travel to summer camp, to Switzerland, to Vermont, and that dreaded region: chemistry class. Humorous and meditative, Sour Cherries ponders that age-old quandary: Why must we travel away to really understand who we are, at home, in ourselves? Building in tension, with wide-ranging material from Frankenstein and Walt Whitman to Shawna Miller and getting a rental car, Sour Cherries is a delight that explores all the complexities of human emotion." --Taylor Brorby, author of Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land
"[C]aught as we all are in this politically divisive moment, as distrust and cynicism hold sway, Elberfeld’s sensibilities could not be more timely or necessary. The writer’s curiosity and good-will, whether among friends or strangers, offer the rare alternative of civility across difference." --Laurie Clark
"Whether recounting a serendipitous meeting in Nantucket or reflecting on his family's legacy, Elberfeld’s voice is reflective. Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s is a crafted collection that captures the essence of life’s journeys. The essays offer a varied tapestry of experiences, inviting readers to explore with him the intersections of memory, place, and identity." -- Readers' Favorite
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Press Release/One-Sheet
Goodreads book page
Social media outreach
Live virtual events
Customized book announcement email
Editorial reviews
Strategy calls with publicist
NetGalley campaign
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798891329119 |
| PRICE | US$17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 140 |
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