Thank you to the brilliant readers and friends who gave me invaluable feedback on early drafts of this book: Anne Ray, Cathrin Wirtz, David Horne, Marie-Helene Bertino, Melanie Martinez, and Lesley Finn.
Thank you to the community of writers and friends I’m lucky to be a part of, particularly Amelia Kahaney, Amy Fox, David Ellis, Elizabeth Logan Harris, Elliott Holt, Helen Phillips, Megan Murtha, Michael Cunningham, Mohan Sikka, and Ted Dodson.
Thank you to all of the writing teachers I’ve had over the years, particularly those at the Brooklyn College MFA program.
Thank you to my intrepid agent, Jody Kahn, for her insight, wisdom, support, and friendship.
Thank you to my brilliant editor, Jackson Howard, for honoring what I was trying to do with this book while also pushing me to make it better at every turn. Thanks, too, to the entire team at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and MCD, especially Sean McDonald, Mitzi Angel, Flora Esterly, Brianna Fairman, Sophie Albanis, and Patrice Sheridan. Thanks to Alex Merto for another perfect cover. Thank you to Patrick Harbron for the lovely author photo.
Thank you to my family, particularly my sister, Anna; my brother, Christian; my nieces Katarina and Anika; my nephews Max and Lukas; and my cousin Bastian. Thank you to Nancy and Ed Lynch.
Thank you to my partner, David, for his unwavering support, humor, and patience.
Finally, a huge thank you to my mother, Christine Demmer Grattan, who passed away shortly before In Tongues came out. She was my biggest cheerleader, a person whose warmth, creativity, and generosity shaped me in more ways than I can know. She left us too soon, and I will miss her forever.