My heartfelt thanks:
To Mark Doten, my editor, for his incredible vision, patience and persistence.
To Bronwen Hruska, my publisher, for being the book’s greatest champion.
To Paul Bresnick, my agent, for being in my corner every step of the way.
To John Oakes for his invaluable guidance and wisdom.
To Jennifer Belle and Tim Tomlinson for showing me how it’s done. I couldn’t have asked for better teachers.
To Michael Sears, Desiree Rhine and Sherri Phillips for their essential input throughout many, many drafts.
To The Virginia Center For the Creative Arts, The Vermont Studio Center and Carol Levine and Melissa Slaybaugh for providing welcoming places and the head space in which to write.
To Professor Richard Goodkin for introducing me to Proust and the magic of the Madeleine so many years ago.
To Diane Colman for being my very first reader and copy editor (thanks Mom!).
To Richard Roth for his boundless generosity and creative input.
To Jack Levine for his unconditional support.
To Albert Colman, Karen Finerman, Janet Eisenberg, Donna Broder, Gavin Polone, Monica Cohen, Karen Levine, Lisa Garey, Sharon Hayes Roth, and Jonathan Reiss for the many and varied ways they supported me as I made my way down this very long road.
To Dr. Elizabeth Fitelson, Dr. Christina Matera, Dr. David Printz and Dr. Margaret Spier for saving my life.
To Gabriel and Emma for being the most compassionate, awe-inspiring, wonderfully eccentric, genius children I could ever dream of. You amaze me every day.
And finally, to Michael—for more than I can possibly say here, but especially, for always (and often) saying “when” and never “if.” It made all the difference. Thank you.