Irreplaceable

Wow! What a wonderfully well-written offering for a debut novel . . .

I'm not sure how I was drawn to this book and decided to bring it home with me - I still wonder about that, but sure am glad I did. This author has proven himself exceptionally gifted in humanizing the emotional story of a heart transplant and those it involved. The last chapter and epilogue totally undid me, as I had managed to keep it together during other difficult passages. Stephen Lovely has shown his potential and I cannot wait to read his next book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome book, awesome author!

I read this book because it was on the list for my book club. I found myself not being able to put it down and becoming completely engrossed in it! After reading the first couple of chapters I thought I had an idea of how the book was going to turn out but it wasn't that way at all! The characters were developed very well and there weren't so many that I had a hard time keeping track of who's who like I sometimes do. To top it off, the author came to our book club the night we discussed the book. If I hadn't read the book before I had met him, I definitely would have afterwards! Can't wait for his next one!

Irreplaceable by Steven Lovely

Mr. Lovely must have experience with losing his soulmate. There are passages in this book that can only come from the heart of a grieving spouse or significant other. He is sensitive and compassionate. I found the idea of an organ recepient forming a relationship with the donor's family a little out there, but he explores the emotions of the characters and presents them as real. The "what if" aspect of the plot is thought provoking however, and that's a good thing!

well written

Poignant story of 2 families, and the hard decision of releasing your loved ones heart to another after a tragic accident. The donor's choice, but those that are left behind follow through with her wishes and the story unfolds. At times a bit slow, not over-sappy, and descriptive as well, almost graphically so, describing the surgical procedure. In the beginning, not so drawn to the characters but then they begin to grow on you. Truly didn't want the book to end but does so in quite a touching way. Maybe I will be a donor after all!

Truly Heartbreaking

In Stephen Lovely's debut novel, he delves into the hearts and minds of his characters in the aftermath of the tragic death of Isabel, a young botanist. In the prologue, we meet Isabel riding her bicycle in a race to arrive home before a threatening storm breaks. The author does a wonderful job of building up the sense of urgency on Isabel's part. A truck cresting the hill does not see her in time and the inevitable happens. The story goes back and forth in time and gives the reader deeper insight as to the circumstances before and after the accident.It also details in a very well written manner the ripple effects to all directly involved and extending to their families.

Alex, the grieving widower is having not only a hard time with the fact that he lost his wife so tragically, but the fact that she was an organ donor, never having been comfortable with the idea of pieces of his wife being parceled out to others. Isabel's mother, on the other hand, takes comfort in the fact that somewhere out there, Isabel's heart is still beating. This is really at the crux of the matter. Alex seems to resent the fact that he has suffered so much for someone else's gain. Add in the heart recipient and all the angst associated with being in need of an organ donation, the upset to normal family life and marriage, you have the recipe for a story of intense feelings. One more ingredient to stir the plot is the addition of the truck driver, who in order to assuage his guilt, begins to think the recipient should be grateful to him, for the accident that took one life has now saved hers. Even though the donor program is supposed to be confidential, somehow the people involved learn of each other's existence and that is when the multitude of complex problems begin.

I found this a really interesting novel seeing the perspective of the characters from both sides of the accident. It was very difficult for me to fathom why some of them felt the way they did, especially the involvement of the truck driver. Lovely managed to explore these feelings from all angles and they were revealed via flashback mode in a plot that was truly intriguing. Not only did I want to find out what happened to Alex but also the family members of the recipient. There were several spots that were a little wordy, especially describing the heart donor process, but other than that, the book totally held my attention and was extremely well written. I would recommended reading this novel for book clubs as I think there are numerous avenues of discussion that could be taken. I really liked the book and rate it 4****.

Wrenching.

Isabel is riding home on her bicycle when she is struck by a car. She had elected to be an organ donor and once she was declared brain dead, her husband Alex gives permission for her organs to be harvested. The rest of the story takes place about a year after this event with Alex dealing with the intense grief and loneliness that he feels. He spends time with Isabel's mother Bernice and they both are a bit lost without Isabel. Into this dynamic comes Janet, the recipient of Isabel's heart. Despite the fact that the hospitals and all the organizations that handle the transplant process make it very difficult for donors and receivers to connect, Janet had managed to find Isabel's family and makes contact.

Bernice welcomes the idea of Janet and her efforts to contact the family while Alex is justifiably angry and reluctant for such a connection. Though he does not necessarily dislike Janet, he resents her efforts to insert herself into his life. Her life meant Isabel's death and that is a fact that he cannot overcome. He deeply feels the unfairness of the fact that Janet lives while Isabel had to die. Alex feels that it is selfish to have Janet continue to force contact with him. When Bernice chastises him for not welcoming Janet with open arms telling him that it would be easier for her to have not called, Alex disagrees and believes that it would have been harder for her not to have called. Its like she needs his forgiveness to feel better about the whole process. Personally, I agreed with Alex's assessment of the situation. I too felt that Janet imposed herself on Alex and did not give him enough time to heal. Alex lost the person he loved most in the world and a year later he is being emotionally blackmailed into associating with the woman who received her heart. Maybe Janet meant well but I found her actions selfish and very self centered. I felt sorry for Alex because he was not allowed his grief but instead made to feel like he was a traitor to his wife's memory by not wanting to embrace the woman who was now carrying her heart.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I failed to connect with any of the characters. I did not particularly like Janet though I empathized with her for the illness that made her require a new heart. I felt sorry for Bernice but I was disappointed with her role in forcing Alex to hurry his greiving process and make contact with Janet. And though I understood Alex's plight, I also failed to connect with him past my sorrow at his loss and my understanding of how he felt as regards Janet. I think that especially in the case of Alex I was unable to form a bond with him because of the overarching sense of loss, loneliness, sadness and grief that shrouded everyone in this novel. Everyone was sad (justifiably so) and I never really got to know them beyond this emotion.

The book is very well written and is able to convey raw pain in a way that leaves you somewhat drained. It humanizes the organ donation process from being just another medical process to the real emotion felt on both sides. We see the way in which people who yesterday had ordinary lives today find themselves afflicted by disease or death of a loved one. For them its not business as usual, its devasting and wrenching. I really liked this book. Toward the end I felt that it began to drag a bit but all in all, it was a very good read.

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