My thanks to all the readers of this book in its various drafts for their feedback and encouragement—particularly to editor Melanie Little; to my agent, Monica Pacheco; to my parents, Bart and Marianne Henstra; and to Lynne Missen, Brittany Lavery, Sandra Tooze, Chandra Wohleber, and Vikki VanSickle at Penguin Random House Canada. To those who cheered me along with good writing company, especially Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Suzanne Alyssa Andrew, and Heidi Reimer. To the staunchest supporters of my early writing efforts, including Mary Tangelder, Stan Kaethler, Jessica Westhead, and Jennifer Burwell. To my sons, Rowan and Marlow Vander Kooy, for promising to read the book even though it “looks pretty girly” and to give all their friends free copies. And to Neil Vander Kooy: my first reader, my first listener, my first everything.