ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Kate McKean, my agent, for taking me seriously. That you were so quick to say, “Yes, you will write this book,” still surprises me. That you were actually right still feels like a dream. I still read your (essential) newsletter as if I’m just there to learn from someone I admire, as if you aren’t directly responsible for this story turning into a novel. To Gabriella Mongelli, editor of my dreams, whose love for the characters in The Old Place often seemed to exceed my own. Thank you for seeing the value in the residents of Billington and for helping me shape their stories into the novel they all deserved. To everyone at Putnam and Penguin Random House for your support, especially Kristen Bianco, Brennin Cummings, Katie Grinch, Sally Kim, Christopher Lin, Vi-An Nguyen, Anthony Ramondo, Lara Robbins, Andrea St. Aubin, Alexis Welby, and Ashley McClay. From the very first call, I knew I would be in good hands.

This novel was written during the darkest days of the pandemic, and I found a life-saving solace in spending time with these characters. Immersing myself in Billington for a few hours a day—thanks in no small part to the momentum-building of Jami Attenberg’s 1000 Words of Summer project—was a way of escaping not just the cramped one-bedroom apartment I shared with my husband and two cats, but the grim, unsettling version of a city that was typically so joyful and inviting. To all those who kept me company when I wasn’t at my desk, whose presence meant so much to me despite being merely digital, I could not have made it through without having faith in your friendship. To everyone who kept me sane throughout those two years (and who will keep doing so for the rest of my life, if I’m lucky), but especially Steven Avalos, LaLa Thompson, Rae Votta, Kelly Reeves, Jeff Baum, Aminatou Sow, Shani Hilton, Patrick Sullivan, Dan D’Addario, Benjamin Lee, and Richard Lawson. Though nothing beats being face to face, seeing your names light up my phone screen can still make even the emptiest moments of my life feel full.

Thank you to Emma Carmichael, for pulling me away from an office churning out advertising copy and giving me the chance to write for Jezebel, where I was surrounded by the funniest and most talented people I’ll ever write blogs and eat gummy worms with. It was a privilege to be edited by Kate Dries, Stassa Edwards, Clover Hope, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, and Jia Tolentino, and to publish my silly little stories about celebrities alongside essential writing by Kara Brown, Clio Chang, Hazel Cills, Madeleine Davies, Kelly Faircloth, Rich Juzwiak, Anna Merlan, Megan Reynolds, Joanna Rothkopf, Ellie Shechet, and Kelly Stout. All of you made me a better writer, a better thinker, a better person, and all of you still do. Working with you was an honor; being your friend is a gift.

To Amanda Millwee and Matt Nall, for pulling me to New York and changing the trajectory of my life, and to Rachel Humphrey, Delia Sarich, Rebecca Kwan Sutter, Alicia Valle, Hera Yeung, Lauren Zaffaroni, for being anchors when I wanted nothing more than to float away. Your homes will always be my home, whether you like it or not.

To Lindsey Weber, for using and sharing your brilliance to help create the greatest/stupidest job of all time, for taking risks when I choose not to, and most importantly, for answering emails I ignore. I couldn’t have written this book without having the utmost trust in you as a professional partner, and more importantly, as a friend.

To my siblings, Mike Finger and Val Finger, thank you for your unbridled enthusiasm. I’ve looked up to you both my entire life, and that kind of admiration is something I’ll never outgrow. It still blows my mind that you give me the time of day, and that after three decades you still haven’t revealed what your little inside joke means. I am so lucky to have ya’ll.

Thank you to the educators I will never forget—Mrs. Mills, Madame Taylor, Professor Rivera—but especially Mr. and Mrs. Finger. Countless students had the good fortune to have the two of you as unforgettable and unparalleled educators in their school lives, but only three were fortunate enough to have your love and support follow them all the way home. Thank you for everything. There would be no Old Place without the old place.

And to Joshua, “Thank you” doesn’t cut it. You’re last on the list because when it comes to you I always seem to run out of words. You’ll always be my place, and I’ll always be yours.