This book would not exist without the dedication of my wonderful agent, Christopher Schelling, who supported and encouraged me during its writing, and would not let me give up on it later, and Leigh Newman, my brilliant editor, who brought me into the Catapult family. I’m so lucky to know both of you. Thank you to Alicia Kroell, Wah-Ming Chang, Nicole Caputo, Megan Fishmann, Rachel Fershleiser, and everyone at Catapult. It takes so many people to make a book, and I’m lucky to have worked with all of you to get here. Thank you to Sara Wood for a dream cover.
I must send special thanks to the people who read earlier versions of this novel. Thank you to Rachel B. Glaser for her keen eye and impeccable taste and vision; to Matt Katz, my best friend and a brilliant reader and human being; to Brett Welch for your invaluable suggestions. Thank you, Dan Fishback, for loving this book.
This novel was greatly improved by the involvement of Joy Williams, who offered her time and gave crucial suggestions before the novel was submitted to my agent. I will be forever grateful. Thank you to Dan Chaon, Madeline ffitch, Paul Lisicky, and Zak Salih.
Writing a novel is a strange, emotionally unstable, wild undertaking! Many people held me up, listened, or otherwise made an impact on my writing life over the years it took to complete this book. Thank you, Jessica Adams, Erin Baillargeon, Jeff Bond, Heather Chriscaden, Lisa Dillon, Joe DiResta, Linda Hanlon, the Irish family, Samantha Isasi, the “Kittens,” Patrick Ryan, Elana Stein (and everyone in the UHS Program at the University at Albany), Jared and Leigh Widjeskog, and Kyle Winkler. Thank you to my incredible extended family.
Thank you, Ellis Rowlands, who let me talk too much, and cry, and work out problems on our walks.
Suzanne Staub and Morgan Irish, you are my sisters.
Thank you, Lisa Koosis, for coaching me during the writing of the first draft of this book.
Thank you to the Juniper Summer Writing Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and to everyone I learned from there.
I would not be a writer without the influence of my mother, a lifelong reader. This book is both our dreams. Thank you to my father and my brother for knowing I could do this, even when it seemed like I wasn’t doing it.
Thank you, George Whitmore (1945–1989).
Finally: Thank you, Mark, for letting me be the isolated weirdo in the attic for five years as I wrote this novel, and for believing in me all the time. I love you.