Summary
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…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781640097940 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1640097945 |
| Author: | Maureen O'Leary |
| Publisher: | Counterpoint |
| Imprint: | Counterpoint |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 19 January 2027 |
| Dimensions: | 140mm x 210mm |
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Critics Review
“O’Leary debuts with a finely honed literary thriller … memorable story of resilience.” —Publishers Weekly
“Taut, electrifying, and thoroughly riveting, The Ones Who Loved You is a high-wire act, balancing violence and tenderness, vengeance and grace. This singular story will take your breath away.” —Kirstin Chen, author of Counterfeit
“Maureen O’Leary is a stellar new voice.” —Priya Sharma, World Fantasy Award Winner, author of All the Fabulous Beasts, Ormeshadow, and Pomegranates
“A story steeped in place and ripe with poetry, The Ones Who Loved You is plot-driven perpetual motion. O’Leary strikes a match and turns loose a fire.” —David Joy, author of Those We Thought We Knew
“Maureen O’Leary’s The Ones Who Loved You hums with an incantational power, drawing you into a dark, lyrical, ferocious tale of love and violence, the spiky hold that our tormentors have over us and the burning resilience of found families. A stunning debut.” —Megan Abbott, author of El Dorado Drive
“Propulsive from the first sentence, Maureen O’Leary’s The Ones Who Loved You takes the reader on a life’s journey of terror, pain, strength, and redemption. Readers may well be reminded of Kawai Strong Washburn’s Sharks in the Time of Saviors, but O’Leary’s novel is its own fierce creature. Dylan and Jordan will haunt you long afterwards.” —Christian Kiefer, author of The Heart of It All
“The Ones Who Loved You is an ode to the liberation of the female body. Maureen O’Leary writes with fire and ferocity. This is a writer I’m watching with great excitement and elation. Her words do powerful work.” —Nayomi Munaweera, author of What Lies Between Us
“The Ones Who Loved You does the seemingly impossible: simultaneously thrill, scare, haunt—and cheer. A complex story of trauma, vengeance, intrigue, and bare-knuckled survival, it is, at its core, a bracing meditation on the resilience of human attachments, especially the bonds between women. I couldn’t put it down.” —Naomi J. Williams, author of Landfalls
“Dylan is an absolutely original American heroine. Her story, told in gorgeous prose, has everything: love, longing, faith, ambition, violence, and tenderness forged in the wild, unpredictable world of California. The Ones Who Loved You is an unforgettable and stunning novel.” —Karen E. Bender, author of The Words of Dr. L
Maureen O'Leary
Maureen O’Leary’s short stories, poems, and essays can be found in Bourbon Penn, Chthonic Matter Quarterly, Sycamore Review, and many other magazines. Her story “One Thing About Blue” was selected for Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, and other work has appeared in Akashic Books’ Sacramento Noir, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2026, Chthonic Matter Quarterly, Black Glass Pages, Frost Zone Stories, and Penumbra No. 6: A Journal of Weird Fiction and Criticism.
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