IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD to this book, and I am forever grateful to those who have traveled down it with me. I am immensely indebted to Mildred Zambrano, for suffering through the many frustrations of the early days. To Amy and Jim Houran, for always keeping their door and hearts open to me. To Nancy Heiser, for giving me a sense of direction when I needed it most. To Jess Chen, for being an amazing godfather to my sons and a load-bearing beam for my family. To Paul Beatty, for teaching me how to be a completionist. To Victor LaValle, for his generosity in giving me a year of his time. To Jaida Temperly, for understanding where I was trying to go, and for her commitment in helping me get there. To Joanna Volpe, for taking over the reins with a steady hand. To Todd Hunter, for taking a leap of faith with me, and under whose stewardship—with special thanks to Molly Lindley Pisani—this book came into full bloom. To Ramsey and Wren, who never had a say in what they sacrificed for this to happen, and for loving me in spite of it. Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Maja, for sharing her sharp mind and extraordinary heart. She showed me what love, compassion, and forgiveness mean. That this book exists at all is testimony to her generosity as a wife, mother, friend, reader, editor, and muse.
And to Faustino, who lay at my feet as I sat in a bungalow in the Argentine Pampas working on an early draft. I wish he was still here.