This novel was written with the generous help of a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation.
I was also helped by friends who remain my sharpest, toughest readers: Victor Bumbalo, Mary Gentile, Damien Jack, Paul Russell, Ed Sikov, and Brenda Wineapple. My agent, Edward Hibbert, shared both his literary expertise and his experience in his other profession, acting. Neil Olson and Jesse Dorris provided important support and advice. I owe special thanks to my editor, Meaghan Dowling, her assistant, Rome Quezada, and my copyeditor, Shelly Perron.
Even more than on previous books, Draper Shreeve gave me so much here, not just his intelligence, humor, and sanity but also his firsthand knowledge of the world of circus animals. He brought me into that world. I could not have written this novel without him.