Writing a novel is lonely work; I am indebted to so many people whose help and support along the way made this even remotely possible. To Umma and Abba, for teaching me the word jung (and for never forcing me to become a doctor, lawyer, and/or concert pianist). To Unnie and Oppa, for the kind of tough love and torment only older siblings can provide. To Richard, Clara, and Gage: your endless giggles and innocence are an inspiration.
To my thesis advisor Xuefei Jin, for guiding this novel through its early drafts, informing so much of its structure, and urging me to “put everything” into this one. To the ever-generous writers Lisa Borders and Michelle Hoover, for whipping this manuscript into shape and taking a ruthless red pen to cliché-ridden (riddled?) sentences like these. To my agents Esmond Harmsworth and Lane Zachary: thank you for your literary counsel and beyond invaluable edits—and for fighting for Eunice (as well as “Poo, Rushing”).
To my editor Pam Dorman: I swear you know these characters better than I do!—thank you for pushing them to be fuller, rounder, and subtler in ways I didn’t know how. To Seema Mahanian, Clare Ferraro, Kathryn Court, Patrick Nolan, Carolyn Coleburn, Louise Braverman, Kristin Matzen, Andrea Lam, Roseanne Serra, Francesca Belanger, Nancy Sheppard, Sarah Janet, Winnie De Moya, John Fagan, Hal Fessenden, Leigh Butler, Tricia Conley, Kate Griggs, and everyone on the hardcover and paperback sales teams at Penguin Random House: thank you so much for welcoming Jane home.
My gratitude to Fulbright, the Korean-American Educational Commission, and Professor Sung Kyungjun for supporting my novel research in Seoul. I am so grateful for fellowship support from the Center for Fiction in New York, the Jerome Foundation, and the American Association of University Women. To Grub Street in Boston and to all the Novel Incubees, for their careful reads—you guys rock.
A huge thanks to Diana Ahn, for giving this manuscript multiple reads, sharing her real estate and construction expertise, and making a lifetime of slogging on the 7 train all the more bearable. To my Kun-Gomo and my late Kun-Gomobu, for taking such good care of me in Seoul. To Hyemin Yu, for fielding all my stupid questions about modern Korean culture and for her indispensable research skills. To Peter Dimock and Ariana X. Dimock, for their generous reads and insight. To Brett Taylor, for his tireless energy, cartographic prowess, and help fine-tuning the final drafts of this novel. To all my friends and family in New York, Boston, and Korea who have lent their eyes, ears, and patience to this effort.
I am beholden to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.
And to my two great loves: New York City, for inspiring me to become a writer; and Boston, for teaching me how.