A propulsive and haunting debut novel that examines the deep impacts of first love, faith, violence, and loss on a young girl who discovers she has the power to heal others through touch

Set in the mountains of Northern California and the rural communities hidden in the Sacramento Delta, The Ones Who Loved You is a love story about a former faith-healer and a war veteran who must escape their pasts to build a future together. 

As a young woman, Dylan lays hands on the sick while her mother collects cash for the privilege of her daughter’s healing touch. At twenty-two, her dreams of going to medical school recede when a bad relationship culminates in several weeks as a captive of her ex-boyfriend’s associate. After a daring escape, she reunites with her best childhood friend and first love Gabriel who has returned shell-shocked from war. The chance to make a new start with Gabriel as caretakers of a historical landmark home in the mountain town of Brookside seems ideal for them both as they struggle to overcome their violent pasts. Yet as they forge a community among veterans and misfits, they attract the ire of a local pastor who will do whatever it takes to protect his flock from the influence of the female stranger some are claiming has the power to heal by touch.