Thank you to my agent, Madeleine Milburn, for your unwavering support for my writing, your ambition for it, and for all your tireless work on my behalf. Thanks to Giles Milburn, Hayley Steed, Alice Sutherland-Hawes, Anna Hogarty, Liane-Louise Smith, and Georgia McVeigh for making me feel so welcome and for being the very best champions.
I feel incredibly lucky to have not one but two extraordinary Emilys in my life—Emily Griffin at Cornerstone in the UK and Emily Krump at William Morrow in the US. Your editorial input has been invaluable and there have been times when I have felt you understood what I was trying to say better than I did myself! This book is immeasurably better for your insights and I am so grateful for your vision and determination to make this a success. At William Morrow, thank you to Julia Elliott, Liate Stehlik, Jennifer Hart, Molly Waxman, Brittani Hilles, Stephanie Vallejo, and Ploy Siripant. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with such talented people.
Closer to home, many thanks to the friends and extended family who have endured my tall tales for long enough and who weren’t altogether too surprised when I announced, out of the blue, that I had written a novel. Not least to Sheila Crowley for her boundless faith that she would be seeing my name on the shelves before too long.
Special thanks to my mum and dad, Stephanie and David Greaves, for your generosity and good humor. I could not have wished for more supportive parents and I think I speak for both myself and my brother, Nathan, when I say we wouldn’t be where we are now without everything you have done for us both. Thank you for knowing it was only ever a case of when, not if, you would be reading my debut novel. Your faith in my capabilities means more than I can say.
And finally, my thanks to John Russell for not complaining too much about the crack-of-dawn writing starts and for delivering the porridge to sustain them. Thank you for your confidence that the future looks bright and for reminding me to leave the computer and get some fresh air every now and again. Above all, thank you for showing me a love that speaks louder than words.