I will be forever grateful to my parents, Gisèle and Álvaro. For my mother, who showed me limitless love and was the very example of bravery in the face of hardship. Even when we had nothing, she found a way to enrich my life. For my father, who taught me always to stand up for egalitarianism and whose wise counsel invariably found its mark. And I include Jack Canavan in that word—parents—may his songs be heard forever. For Lela and Meme, and the memory of their husbands, all of whom lived through tribulations with utmost grace and created the patchwork family I love. For beautiful Camille, who believed in me, my first reader and my bro. Never-ending thanks to the superb people at Curtis—Melissa Pimentel, Richard Pike and, of course, my incredible champion, Gordon Wise, the smartest and funniest ally a writer could have. On the other side of Atlantic, I’d like to express deep thanks to the lovely team at Minotaur—Keith and Hannah—and to Daniel Kirschen at ICM Partners.
To my friends who saw me through the grind, Kielan Thompson, Houman Barekat, and Alexis Hercules, poet kings all three. To brave Kim, 感谢您的建议
. To Benjamin Wood and his inestimable advice. To the Birkbeck Clique, wherever you go in life, we’ll always have Kingsley. To my comrade, Chris Simpson, when your stories are known to all, I’ll be able to say: told you so. And to my English teacher, Ms. Kenney, who taught me the magic of words.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge four people who should never be forgotten. Mikio, Yasuko, Niina, and Rei Miyazawa. May they rest in peace and may the man who took them one day know justice.