Bent, Not Broken-A Modern Romance by William R. Potter

Dwayne Johnson knows he is different. He lives in a world that can always be depended on to remind him of his strangeness. Despite his social awkwardness, Dwayne meets a beautiful woman at a bus stop and soon his entire life transforms. Unfortunately his obsessions work against him, keeping the couple apart pushing Dwayne to the point of alcoholism and insanity.

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I really want to tell you about “Bent, Not Broken" a story that should not be missed.
Dwayne suffers from OCD. I think that after finishing the story that some of my own compulsive tendencies have flared, but I’m not Dwayne. Dwayne must live in a world of odd numbers preferring 3s, 5s, and 7s. One of the more touching moments is when Dwayne is out on a date and he needed an extra chair and place setting at the table in order to feel comfortable, and I think that I’m hard to live with.

Dwayne is excellent at his job. He calls people that he refers to as “marks” and asks them about their preferences, surveys them about food, TV, etc, and rewards those who answer them with valuable coupon books. He holds the record for the most completed surveys in one shift. He is loved by his boss; hated by his co-workers. To Dwayne, his co-workers are the terrible trio. They play games with this desk, putting an extra pen in his up so that they number 4 or 6 or 8. These games make it impossible for Dwayne to focus.
The one thing that Dwayne has going for him is a mysterious woman that he calls Black-Coat Girl who is at the bus stop everyday at the same time he drives by on his way to work. Dwayne has made up several stories about Black-Coat Girl, who she is, what she does, why she takes the bus.

What is really nice about this story is that it has a very Punch-Drunk Love romantic twist that takes a seven car pileup on a snowy day to kick off. Dwayne has to take the bus, the very same bus that Black-Coat Girl takes. And on that day, Black-Coat Girl sits down beside him and admits that she thinks of him as her 20-Second Boyfriend.

The writing is really well done. The descriptions of Dwayne’s inner experience are strange and wildly detailed. They have a bumpy start to things, but their story ends well, not the happily ever after kind of ending, but an ending that suits the characters and left me wanting for more.by Aaron Wilson www.soullessmachine.com

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Bent, Not Broken brings to life a very complex character, Dwayne Johnson. He has some qualities of OCD, but Potter avoids the clichés that would harm his story if he just stuck to 100% textbook OCD traits, say like Nicholson's character in "As Good as it Gets". Potter knows real people are far more complex and brings layers of nuance to Dwayne's character as well as that of Dee-Dee, a woman who is transformed from one of his obsessions to a full-fledged love interest. The interactions of these two characters are constantly intriguing and surprising--again, just like in real life. When you read Potter's fiction, you are in good hands. You will never feel cheated, as when authors resort to cliché to rush to the conclusion they have forced upon their characters. In Potter's universe, characters come first and the reader gets to know them as well as a relative or friend. You follow his plots because they make sense for the characters, a refreshing change from a lot of poorly written popular fiction. This is a first-rate read and I look forward to reading more from William Potter. Highly Recommended/Must Read by George Wilhite