If you would like to imagine the author of this book as a solitary fellow, working alone and friendless, please close the book now. I am neither, however, which is why I need to thank many people whose love, advice, and/or interest helped bring this book into the world.
Thanks to:
Family: My mother, Jan Coake; my sister, Whitney Coake; and all my Lauer in-laws.
Early Readers: James Mardock (thanks and thanks again), Michael Kardos, and Lori Rader Day.
(A surely incomplete list of) Friends and Supporters: Emilie Meyer; Catherine Pierce; Taylor Snodgrass and Michael Snodgrass; Heidi Hesse; Greg Harris; Wes and Tory Herron; Doug Bowers and Stephanie Suen; Claire Vaye Watkins; Curtis Vickers; Gabe Urza; Ben Rogers; Jason Ludden; Cameron Filipour; David Higginbotham; Grant Peterson; Michelle Herman; Paul Martin, Deb Spieker-Martin, and the crew at Bibo Coffee Co.; Justin Gifford; Erin and Ben James; Lynda and Patrick Walsh; Jane Detwiler and Beverly Lassiter; Eric Rasmussen; Don and Heather Hardy; Stacy Burton; Aaron Santesso and Esra Mirze; Rob and Elizabeth Trupp; Tim Johnson and Maura Grady; Kelly Bahmer-Brouse and Andy Brouse; Kami Bevington; Cari Cunningham and Trannon Mosher; Aaron Linfante; Joshua Jay; Okla Elliott; Andrew Scott; Scott W. Berg; Tony Lacey; Francis Geffard; Peter Wild; Kacey Kowars; Matt Weiland; John Freeman; Dan Chaon; Otto Penzler; Ray and Barbara March; Dr. Miles Congress; Shaun Griffin; Christine Kelly, Dan Earl, Michael Croft, and the staff of Sundance Bookstore; and Steve Davis and Christina Barr at Nevada Humanities.
Good dogs: Dashiell Hammett, Kona, and Nada (RIP).
Special Thanks:
To Ian Jack: I acknowledge you.
To my colleagues at the University of Nevada, Reno, and to all the students, past and present, who’ve made mine a dream job.
To the students and faculty at Ohio State University and Miami University of Ohio, past and present, who keep inspiring me.
To all the journals that have published my work: The Journal, the late and lamented Three Plum Review/Central Ohio Writing, and The Frostproof Review; Five Points; The Gettysburg Review; The Southern Review; Epoch; The Jabberwock Review; and Granta.
To the PEN American Center—especially Thomas Beller, Victoria Redel, Heidi Julavits, and the family of Robert Bingham, all of whom gave my career a huge boost.
To Ann Patty, who told me how to make this book shorter, and kept telling me until I listened.
To my agent, Marian Young, the gunslinger.
To—of course!—Grand Central Publishing, especially my fabulous editor, Deb Futter.
And finally: thanks, more thanks, and all the love in the world to my wife, Stephanie Lauer, for putting up with me while I hid in dark rooms, making this thing.