Irreplaceable

By: Stephen Lovely

Narrated by: Phil Gigante, Tanya Eby

Alex Voorman, a cerebral 30-year-old archaeologist, is married to the woman of his dreams - a beautiful, ambitious botanist named Isabel. When Isabel is killed by a reckless driver, Alex reluctantly consents to donate her heart.

Janet Corcoran, a young, headstrong mother of two and an art teacher at an inner-city school in Chicago, is sick with heart disease. She is on the waiting list for a transplant, but her chances are slim. She watches the Weather Channel, secretly praying for foul weather and car accidents. The day Isabel dies, Janet gets her wish.

Flash forward a year. Janet sends Alex a letter. She'd like to learn something about the woman who saved her life. But Alex isn't interested in talking to the recipient of his dead wife's heart. Since Isabel's accident, he's still grief-stricken. Meanwhile, a local blues musician named Jasper, the man responsible for Isabel's death, attempts to atone for his misdeed.

Irreplaceable is the story of what happens after the transplant - not only to Alex but within the concentric circles of family that spiral outward from him and from Janet. Stephen Lovely takes us vividly inside the lives of these characters to reveal their true intentions - however misguided - and gives us a stunning debut novel of loss and love.

©2009 Stephen Lovely (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Don't Read

Honestly, I made it 4 chapters in before I had to investigate the overall reception of this book. The writing was a combination of blunt and flooded with SAT words in a way that made the interactions of characters reminiscent of human.

I desperately wanted to feel connection with this book as my partner is chronically ill and conversations we have frequently reflect the situations in this plot. However the characters are written in such an unlikeable way, it's hard to connect. The author makes sure everyone comments on Janet's weight gain and makes sure it's defended as it's only because of the medicine, otherwise she wouldn't dare be a larger person. (A larger person in this case being a person who is 6 foot 2 and 200 lbs).

I wanted to have sympathy for Alex, Janet, and Bernice, but it's nigh impossible. Alex is egotistical and treats everyone around him as though they are stupid. Grief can alter behavior, sure, but that doesn't make the behavior acceptable. Janet is pushy and insistent. I hated David but oddly I agree with his annoyance at her constant bids for Alex's attention, especially since they are never reciprocated. Bernice is the saddest of all, being the last of her family alive with only Alex as a connection to her daughter. I understand her interest in reaching out to the family Isabella's heart went to. I don't understand her tryst with Alex.

This book makes me upset with Audible's return policy.