I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to many for their support of this novel. Thank you:
To my agent, Julie Barer, for her considered readings and expert guidance—it’s been a dream. To Nicole Cunningham, everyone at The Book Group, and to Jenny Meyer and Caspian Dennis.
To my editor, Mary Gaule, whose faith, sharp mind, and enthusiasm have been a joy. To everyone at Harper, including Nikki Baldauf, Jocelyn Larnick, Cindy Achar, Joanne O’Neill, Kristin Cipolla, and Erin Kibby.
To Chrissy Hennessey and Anu Jindal, first readers.
To the Center for Fiction, whose fellowship arrived at the right moment, especially to Noreen Tomassi and Sara Batkie. To Patricia Mulcahy, whose early editorial eye was invaluable. And to my fellow fellows, Lisa Chen, t’ai freedom ford, Melissa Rivero, Samantha Storey, and Ruchika Tomar.
To the UNCW MFA program, Robert Anthony Siegel, and especially Rebecca Lee. To Erica Sklar, Lucy Huber, Katie Jones, Sally Johnson, Ana Alvarez, and Carson Vaughan.
To everyone I worked with at Ecotone and Lookout Books, particularly Anna Lena Phillips Bell, Emily Louise Smith, David Gessner, Beth Staples, and Ben George.
To Agni and Joyland, for their early support of my work.
To Rochelle Davis and her book Palestinian Village Histories, the authors of Suhmata, and the work of Carlo Levi. To Briana Kobor for her honeymoon.
To Karen and Bill McClung, Christina Creveling, Sorayya Carr, and Rose Barreto.
To Sarah Phair, Alexa Stark, and Meredith Miller, for work advice and book advice.
To Blakely Simoneau.
To my family. I got very lucky. Especially to my sisters Natalya and Stacy, my Uncle Rick and Aunt Genell, and my parents, John Theye and Michelle DeRobertis.
To Salvatore.