What is it that makes light rebound off a surface?

[jeebs]

When we fire a particle at a surface it can bounce off, with the angle of incidence being equal to the angle of reflection. It's clear why this happens - electromagnetic repulsion due to the electrons of the two things getting too close, right? What about light though? We can fire a ray of light at a surface, some of it will go past the surface into the medium, some of it will be reflected. Why is this so?
There is nothing to "repel" the photon (unless I've grossly overlooked something), so what's going on here?
Is it maybe something to do with the electrons in the atoms absorb some energy from the incoming wave, which changes its wavelength and it passes through some gap between adjacent atoms that diffracts it or changes its direction somehow? although, if this was the case, how would that explain the way that the ray's direction bends back the other way when it exits the far side of the material...

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. The angle of incidence is the angle at which a ray of light hits a surface. The angle of reflection is the angle at which the light leaves the surface. The law of reflection states that these two angles are the same. The law of reflection can be observed when playing billiards or using a mirror. The law of reflection also states that the angle of incidence is the same as the angle of reflection. The law of reflection was discovered by Sir Isaac Newton.