KIRA HENEHAN READ seventy pages of this book, and I’m grateful that she pressed a hot poker against my back, urging me to keep going. I’m humbled by my early readers (you know who you are!), who gave incisive and necessary feedback. I’m forever indebted to everyone who’s stuck by me since my first book, patiently following my strange journey to this novel’s publication.
Thank you, my tireless and wise agent, Matthew Carnicelli, for being my champion, editor, truth-teller, and cheerleader for the past decade.
If I could stretch my arms and hug you from the West Coast, Jennifer Baumgardner, I would. You saw my vision for this book, understood Kate’s complexity, and I’m grateful that extraordinary risk-taking editors like you exist. The whole team at the Feminist Press has been nothing short of amazing—you have all my deepest gratitude, love, and donuts. Thank you, Jisu Kim, Alyea Canada, Drew Stevens, Lauren Hook, Lucia Brown, Suki Boynton, Hannah Goodwin, Lucy Stewart, and Nikkia Rivera—I couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful book, from cover to cover.
My deepest gratitude to Joe McGinniss Jr., Laura van den Berg, Liza Monroy, Matthew Sharpe, and Kelly Braffet for your careful read and kind words.
Finally, thank you to my friends who are my family, for dragging me out of the darkness and into the light. Amber Katz, Lara DeSignor, Persia Tatar, Nadine Jolie Courtney, and Meaghan Cleary—your kindness during my darkest moments and friendship mean more to me than you could ever know.