I cannot express how deeply moved I am to have such strong and fearless women in my publishing corner. Jude and Brigitta, thank you for your support and belief in me which has frequently brought me to tears of sheer gratitude. To Kate and Barbara, your care and sensitivity with my story and empowerment of my words has been a wonderous and blessed experience. To my lovely publicist Jordan and all the dedicated Harper Collins team, I thank you for giving me this fantastic glimpse into the magical way in which your world of print lives and breathes. Thanks to Nadine for your utter care with my earliest draft and, of course, Jane for your unwavering faith from that very first call, and all those pep talks since. Andy, designer extraordinaire, thanks to you and the art team for the cover of my dreams.
To Mum and Dad, who gave me life, I am full of gratitude to you both for your love and doing the best you knew how to do. Zora, you are a lifesaver in more ways than one. Thanks to my brothers Adrian and Jerome for accepting my decision to tell my story and to David, Josephine and Steven – you are Kwa. Beloved Aunties and Paw Paw and Granddad, I could not have done without your unwavering strength. My cousin Karen, I’m so glad we reconnected after almost three decades, I am only sorry I won’t ever see our dearly departed Cathy again. Matthew Kwa, thank you for your love and family trees of Kwa. Thank you Len and Kath and Robertses for not ever quite understanding Kwa but embracing me anyway.
To my besties from every chapter of my life and to dear friends who have hung closely with me to the very end of this long writing journey – Foxy, Rach, Meaghan, Georgina, Carmel and Tracey, in particular, the girls in The Band, the No 1 Melbourne Ladies Bookclub, and all who have held my hand, laughed and cried with me, walked and stretched it out and simply said, ‘keep going’, thank you. Jo, for always emanating light beams of love just when they were needed, George, for your brilliance coining the name House of Kwa, and Sherrie, I owe you special acknowledgment for checking my Chinese. Jesper, your last-minute photo is amazing.
To my high school Big Clique, Rat Pack, Scarborough, City Beach, Hale and Churchlands crews and my primary school friends, for being life rafts at a time I may otherwise have drowned, thank you – we did have fun in amongst it all. To everyone I have mentioned in this book, and to you for reading it, I fold my hands and bow.
And to John, my rock, and my kids – you are my world. I know I have been lost in my writing, thank you for supporting my healing so that I could emerge from beneath the waves to finally swim on my own.