This novel was years in the making. It would never have happened without the extraordinary support, friendship, and expertise of dozens of people along the way.
I am deeply indebted to my agent, Jacques de Spoelberch, who fell in love with this book and worked tirelessly to find the right editor. That editor turned out to be Amara Hoshijo at Soho Press. She believed in this story and invested so much of herself to make it the best it could be. I can never thank her enough. To the whole team at Soho—Bronwen, Juliet, Mark, Rachel, Paul, Rudy, Steven, Janine, and Alexa—my lifelong gratitude for taking a chance on me. David Litman, thank you for the stunning cover.
To research this novel, I read countless books and spoke with scholars, government officials, and others who shared their expertise or their personal memories. I’ll name a few here, knowing the list is too long to capture. This novel’s strengths are thanks to all of them and others I have neglected to mention, but any mistakes are my own.
Dick Scott, formerly of USAID, was an invaluable source of information about US projects in Afghanistan in the 1970s. His knowledge is encyclopedic and he was always willing to talk and to help. A big thanks to Dr. Nazif Mohib Shahrani for answering my many questions and sharing his expertise about nomadic groups and more. Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi was supportive from the start. Despite being retired, Dr. Sieten Chieng took the time to patiently answer my very basic questions about seeding and soil.
Many people read early drafts of this book, gave critique and encouragement, or shared their memories of Afghanistan to supplement my own. Thank you, Mahmud Shah Aimaq, Jamila Niazi, and Eleesa Aimaq, for the details about Kabul life, streets, shops, and neighborhoods. Graham Fuller, thanks for being an early champion of this book and for your incisive critique and unwavering support. Betty Keller was among the first to guide me through this story, with her sharp eye, blunt commentary, and passionate encouragement. To Ali Blythe, Justin E. A. Busch, Caroline Cederström, Chaya Deitsch, Susan Finsen, Laura Grunberger, Alyson Knop, Erica Otto, Susanne Otto, Karen Simring, Jessamyn Smyth, Karen Sperry, and Marjorie Wonham—your feedback and your friendship meant the world. To my mother, thank you for encouraging me to do what made me happy, instilling in me a love of books, and celebrating every victory with me.
Finally, all of this was possible because of my husband, Darcy Otto. Writing a novel is a journey of dramatic valleys and peaks for authors and their partners alike. Darcy willingly got on the roller coaster with me and never asked to get off. I hope he hangs on for the next ride.