My first and endless thanks to Molly Friedrich, warrior agent, for your wisdom, grace, and belief in me. I could have never built this house without you. Thank you to the crack team at the Friedrich Agency: the peerless Heather Carr, Lucy Carson, and Hannah Brattesani.
Thank you to my editor, Caitlin McKenna. I am so grateful for your brilliant eye and very large heart, and for the alignment of stars that brought this book to you. Many thanks to everyone at Random House and beyond who helped Build Your House Around My Body out into the world, including Emma Caruso, Jennifer Rodriguez, Barbara Bachman, David Lindroth, Elena Giavaldi, and Mimi Lipson.
Thank you, Cindy Spiegel, for supporting this story when it was just a seedling.
Many thanks to David T.K. Wong and to the University of East Anglia and the MacDowell Colony, for generously allowing me to haunt your premises.
Build Your House and I owe so much to the love and support of many friends and writers. I am especially grateful for this book’s early readers: Adelina, Bill, Emily, Khine, Laura, Valerie, and Vincent.
Thank you to my family, luôn luôn, mãi mãi.