Living on the Dark Side of the Moon: The Story of Love and Renewal Between a Young Man Disfigured on 9/11 and a Beautiful Woman Blinded by a Brain Tumor

Jason’s face is a tangle of flesh. A grotesque scar runs down his right cheek. It’s hideous, at least that’s how he sees it. Others see it differently. He was struck by fiery debris escaping the North Tower with his dad on 9/11. He was eight. Now in his twenties, the scar has taken over his life. He has a successful career and loving family and friends, but no lovers. Never any lovers. He feels he’s “living on the dark side of the moon.” Then he meets Ling, at McGiveny’s Tavern, Jason’s hangout on the Upper West Side of New York. Ling is a classic beauty of Asian descent, with sculptured features, long black silk-like hair, and beautiful breathtaking eyes, but eyes that can not see. Ling is blind, the result of a tumor in childhood. She has recently moved to New York City to work for the National Braille Press. She’s beginning an exciting new life and is told of a possible surgery that would restore her sight. Jason is privately comforted by Ling’s blindness. For now, she isn’t able to see his disfigured face. Ling hears in Jason’s voice his depth, kindness, and thoughtfulness. So begins their tentative, cautious relationship and uncertain future.