A Note from the Author
The idea for this book came, fittingly enough, from the photograph that is now on the cover of this book. I saw it stuck on the refrigerator at my good friend Jonathan Farmer’s house and immediately knew I would draw Jonathan in on an idea I’d had: to do a photographic novel. Although I take photographs myself (at least one a day), I’d always wanted this idea to be a collaboration. And so it was.
Here’s how it worked: Jonathan would give me a photo. I would write part of the novel, incorporating the photo. When I needed the next photo, Jonathan would hand it over. The whole book worked like that—photo after photo, one at a time. I never had any idea what photo would come next. And Jonathan had no idea what I was writing. He didn’t read a single word until I was finished with the first draft.
I’d like to offer great thanks to Mr. Farmer; these words would not, in any way, exist without his photographs. Special thanks as well to: our magnificent editor, Nancy Hinkel, who makes my heart run round like a chicken with its head cut off; our fantastic designer, Melissa Greenberg, who rose to the challenge of this book; and everyone else at Random House, including the incomparable Jeremy Medina and Allison Wortche.
Many of my friends and family members heard about “the photo book” for years before it was finished, so I would like to thank them for their patience and support. In particular, I’d like to thank Jake Hamilton, whose photographs hang over my desk, and Zak Grimshaw, who was the book’s earliest reader outside the editing circle.
The title comes from a Placebo song. Their music very much informed the writing of this book.
A Note from the Photographer
What a strange, wonderful journey these photographs have taken—from the remote forests of New Hampshire to the pages of this extraordinary book. My first thanks must go to Mr. Levithan himself, who, sharing my love of images, had the insane idea for this project, and who wove, out of my series of seemingly random images, a tale so exquisite I almost forget I had no clue what he was writing when I sent them. And to DJ Potter, my friend, collaborator, and muse, without whom these photographs would not have seen the light of day. I must also give thanks, for their friendship and support along the way, to Nadia Taalbi, Erik White, Brian Selznick, Danica Novgorodoff, Billy Merrell, Nico Medina, and the folks at Andy’s Summer Playhouse. To my family—Mom, Dad, Seth, Katrina, and Jackson. And finally, to Ryan James Ouellette and Kate St. Cyr, my intrepid actors, thank you. Your faces captured my imagination; I hope this story captures yours.