A Place of Refuge — Linda Cardillo

She only remembers dying.In 1971, a near-fatal automobile accident throws Izzy Monroe's life into upheaval after she survives with a traumatic brain injury that leaves her with no short-term memory. Unable to continue her graduate studies, she retreats to her childhood home on Chappaquiddick Island, adrift and despairing.Izzy's closest friend, Maria Belli, confronts her with a choice: sink deeper into a numbing grief or find the courage to redefine who she is. Supported by Maria, Izzy sets aside her fear and takes a job on a farm in Italy owned by Maria's grandfather.She begins to find purpose on the farm, but is consumed with hiding her impairment and unwilling to form a bond with anyone-until she encounters Daniel Richetelli, a troubled Jesuit priest who has returned to his grandfather's farm seeking a respite from his own crisis.Battered by family expectations, guilt, betrayal, and self-doubt, Izzy and Daniel struggle to reconcile their immediate and compelling intimacy with their search for new and fulfilling lives.A story of longing, forgiveness, and the healing power of love.