When I Fall In Love (1999)

by Iris Rainer Dart

Genre:  Fiction

Okay. Now I’m not one for sappy romances, and the cover of this one suggests “weepy, cavity-inducing love story.” But the cover is somewhat deceptive; there is substance and grit to this story. Iris Rainer Dart’s When I Fall in Love explores not only themes of unconditional love, but also of sensitivity, tolerance, and cruelty.

Comedy writer Lily Benjamin has a thriving career, a handsome cardiologist fiancé, and a teenaged son who has ambitions to be a tennis star. Then, every parent’s worst nightmare happens—Lily’s son, Bryan, is shot and his spine is damaged beyond repair. He will never walk again. Lily struggles desperately to comfort her son, but seems to be going about it all wrong; Bryan does not respond to her.

Enter Charlie Roth: Lily’s new boss and legendary comedian, and who is horribly disfigured from cerebral palsy. Famous for his off-color humor and outrageous self deprecation, Roth is not one of Lily’s favorite people.

Strangely enough to Lily, Charlie’s insensitive and often cruel humor is the only thing Bryan responds to. Slowly, Bryan gains a new perspective of the world around him, and how he fits into it. And Lily, too, begins to see life—and Charlie—in a new light.

Sound like a tear-jerker?  It is.  Your gut will twist from the emotions and tragedy of the story, but you will also convulse with laughter as well, and fall in love with the character Charlie Roth.