ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Sincere thanks to the following big-hearted people: Maureen Gallagher, G. V. Cooper, Christine Mayall, Ken MacLennan, Sahar Mozaffar, Diane Berl, Rick Kleine, Maureen Mitchell-Wise, Daniel Anker, Richard Wright, Bruce Wilson, Shennan Hutton, Amanda Davis, Micheline Aharonian Marcom, Cornelia Nixon, Mary LaChappelle, Brian Morton, Victoria Redel, Rob Spillman, Michelle Wildgen, Brian DeLeeuw, Nicole Haroutunian, Sara Weiss, Nicki Pombier-Berger, Julie Stevenson, Dan Degnan, Adrian Kinloch, Jessica Winter, Heather M., Nat “Ace” Jacobs, Beth Fitzer, Elizabeth Dunn, Stephanie Palumbo, Erin Kirkham, and Deborah Way.

Heaps of praise and thanks to the brilliant (and aptly named) Meg Storey, and the rest of the good people at Tin House Books; and to Sarah Burnes, the most patient and generous agent anyone could hope for.

Thank you to Amy Hempel, for her keen eye and kind advice. Thank you to Paola Peroni, for her superhuman support and steadfast friendship. Thank you to Alex Banner, for everything.

Warm thanks to the Kimura, Rund, Christie, Fowler, Ratliff, Donahue, and Arnold families—especially my parents, and especially especially Cody and Meggie.

Finally, with tremendous admiration and love, thank you to Adam Ratliff (and little Warren), without whom life would be like a broken pencil: pointless.