A mountain of gratitude to Hilary Rogers for her generous support, expert criticism and willingness to take a risk during the development of this book; I’m grateful for every minute. Warm thanks to Natasha Besliev and the rest of the team at Hardie Grant Egmont, especially Niki Horin and Penelope White. I don’t make it in to the office very often but your ongoing emails and support is very much appreciated. This book owes a huge debt to the HGE marketing team and to Charlotte Bodman for introducing it to the rest of the world. Thanks also to Karri Hedge for editing the story with such clarity and compassion; a world that felt very real to me is now much more real as a result of you believing in it.

To everyone – family, friends and acquaintances – who asked me how my writing is going: thank you! It might not seem like much, but your question is often just what I needed to keep going. Thanks also to Chrissie Keighery, Sara Gerardi and Claire Saxby for discussions over coffee and peppermint tea about ‘all things writing’. One of my favourite things about what we do is the camaraderie and ideas shared with other writers.

To Porter and Elm, thanks for your cheers and understanding during the victories and struggles. And finally, to Campbell: it’s been seventeen years and I still miss you if you’re gone for just a day. Thank you for sharing the journey with me.