Description: "Marlena Oliveira has been given an extraordinary gift. She has been given the power to heal. She can cure paralysis, mental illness, even a broken heart. People with all kinds of ailments come from around the world seeking audiences with her, believing her to be a saint. But her power comes at a price. Marlena can't have friends or go to school. She can't date. She can't even touch anyone. The older she gets, the more trapped she feels."--
Brief description:
Donna Freitas is the author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention, and many other novels and nonfiction books for adults, children, and young adults. Her latest YA novel is a rom-com that takes place in her favorite city, Barcelona: Stefi and the Spanish Prince. She has been featured on NPR and the Today show, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among many other places. Donna currently serves on the faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University's MFA program. She also lives half the year in Barcelona, where she loves partaking of its many bakeries and delicious restaurants galore. Learn more about Donna at donnafreitas.com and on Substack: donnafreitas.substack.com.
Review Quotes:
"The Healer is a beautifully written, intensely romantic book that will tear at your heart and make you question the world. Anyone who loves The Fault in Our Stars and Everything, Everything will adore this book." - Marie Rutkoski, New York Times bestselling author of The Winner's Trilogy
"The Healer is a fascinating novel about the mysteries of faith and also a celebration of the physical pleasures in this world. Marlena is a brilliant character--her voice is hypnotic, insightful, funny, and passionate. In response to the big, unanswerable questions, Donna Freitas has written a beautiful and inspired story." - René Steinke, author of Friendswood and National Book Award Finalist Holy Skirts
"Donna Freitas has crafted a beautiful and moving account of young love in extraordinary circumstances. With a sure hand and a clear eye for the ways of the heart, she's provided us with a fascinating exploration of the ties that bind us to family and lovers, and the freedom that comes from discovering one's own power." - Eliot Schrefer, National Book Award finalist for Threatened and Endangered
"The Healer is a poignant and passionate story of love, faith, loss, betrayal--and redemption. Marlena is a character who jumps off the page and into your heart, where she stays long after you've finished reading." - Deborah Heiligman, author of Vincent and Theo and Charles and Emma
"The Healer is utterly engrossing. Written with poetry and passion, it explores the longing to believe and the sacrifices we make for love. There is beauty and mystery in this amazing book, but no easy answers. The Healer is, itself, a miracle." - Patricia McCormick, two-time National Book Award finalist and author of Sold and Cut
"Donna Freitas has crafted a beautiful and moving account of young love in extraordinary circumstances. A fascinating exploration of the ties that bind us to family and lovers, and the freedom that comes from discovering one's own power." - Eliot Schrefer, National Book Award finalist for Threatened and Endangered
"Marlena is a brilliant character--her voice is hypnotic, insightful, funny, and passionate. In response to the big, unanswerable questions, Donna Freitas has written a beautiful and inspired story." - René Steinke, author of Friendswood and National Book Award Finalist Holy Skirts
"If one takes 'physician, heal thyself' to a metaphysical level, one begins to approximate the keen depiction of adolescent escape and self-rescue that Donna Freitas so beautifully gives us in The Healer. I couldn't put it down. It's a tonic." - Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked and Hiddensee
"[The Healer] shows how divinity is accessible to everyone through the power of love." - Booklist
"Readers will be left reflecting. Intense." - Kirkus Reviews
"The themes of faith and forgiveness are strong, and Freitas makes a solid argument that spiritualism and science are not necessarily mutually exclusive." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"With a deep sense of longing and a beautiful coming-of-age undercurrent, Freitas presents a stark and emotional tale. This delicately crafted, heartfelt novel speaks to the rewards and challenges of creating one's own identity." - Publishers Weekly