Irreplaceable

Stephen Lovely

ISBN 10: 1401322824 / ISBN 13: 9781401322823

Published by Voice and Vision, 2009

About this Item

344 pages. There are no marks or writing in the book. Corners are square. Spine is tight and there are no loose pages. Dust jacket has light shelf wear. Cover colors are bright. Security module glued to bep. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Seller Inventory # 011575

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Irreplaceable
• Publisher: Voice and Vision
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1401322824
• ISBN 13: 9781401322823
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

One windy April afternoon, a young woman bicycles alone along a stretch of Iowa highway. She's pedaling hard, hurrying to get home in time for dinner . . .

Alex Voormann is a cerebral thirty-year-old archaeologist married to the woman of his dreams--a beautiful, ambitious botanist named Isabel. When Isabel, an organ donor, is killed by a reckless driver, Alex reluctantly consents to donate her heart. Janet Corcoran is a young, headstrong mother of two, an art teacher at an inner-city school in Chicago. 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, a miracle. The day Isabel dies, she gets her wish.

Flash forward a year. Janet sends Alex a long letter. She'd like to learn something about the woman who saved her life. Alex isn't interested in talking to the recipient of his dead wife's heart. Since Isabel's accident, he's become grief-stricken and bewildered. His closest companion is his mother-in-law, Bernice. They spend their nights reminiscing about Isabel and hiding out from the world. Meanwhile, a local blues musician named Jasper, the man responsible for Isabel's death, attempts to atone for his misdeed. Jasper is devastated by the knowledge that he destroyed a life but attracted to the idea that he was partially responsible for saving another life -- Janet's. He sees her as his ultimate salvation.

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.

About the Author

Stephen Lovely is the Director of the Iowa Young Writer's Studio and a graduate of Iowa Writers' Workshop. He lives in Iowa City with his girlfriend, a photographer. They have 3 dogs and 3 cats. Stephen enjoys reading, gardening, opera, and--for some reason he's at a loss to explain--football.