Irreplaceable by Stephen Lovely

Isabelle and Alex are happily married and living in Iowa where she is working on her PhD. Isabelle is riding her bike along the highway as a storm approaches when she is hit by a pickup truck driven by Jasper. And so begins the thought-provoking Irreplaceable. Isabelle had signed an organ donor card, so when she doesn't survive the crash, her heart is given to Chicago mother and teacher, Janet. Both Janet and Jasper track down Alex, for their own reasons. How Alex (and Isabelle's mother, Bernice) deal with Isabelle's death and the attempts of Janet and Jasper to establish relationships with them makes up the bulk of the book. I thought it was funny that the book was written by a man but the women characters--Isabelle, Janet and Bernice--were much more likeable than the male characters--Janet's husband (David), Jasper (who's just plain weird) and at times even Alex. I think this book would generate a lively discussion at a book group.