book hunting

[johnc.eire]

I'm trying to get a copy of a novel I read a few years back - but cannot remember the name of the book OR the author.

Potted storyline is:
The main character is Ralph (sometimes Rafe) going through his teen-age years in America. His experiences lead him to become friends with a guy who subsequently introduces him to an aunt (? - or other relative). The story continues with the growth of Ralph's sexual affair with said aunt which then breaks down in a fairly typical way. This leads R. to a driving accident & as a result, he has a leg amputated.
The remainder of the story tells how Ralph overcomes the disability aspects of his injury & his growing feelings for other people in general. He relocates to Seattle (or it might have been Portland), where, living on his own, he strives to become independant once more.
He finally succeeds in freeing himself of the interference (as he sees it) of social support organizations and becomes 'a man with one leg', as opposed to 'a cripple'.

Does any of the above strike a memory-chord with anyone?

On the whole, I found the storyline to be quite uplifting, and a complete change from my normal diet of 100% science fiction. I'd really like to read it again some day.

[adityadubey]

You might have some luck posting in this thread:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34005

[EsperKnight]

I believe the story your talking about is David Eddings' The Losers. I don't remember the sexual affair with the aunt but your overall description sounds spot on with it. Definitely a great read too (although this may be colored as it's been more than 5 or so years since I've read it).

The Losers - David Eddings

[johnc.eire]

That's the one, EsperKnight - you're a genius Thank You!

Aditya - thanks for the heads-up about an existing thread - tried to find it by looking through the forums and thread names, but couldn't spot it. I shall remember for the next time - there undoubtably will be one!