I am thankful to my sisterhood of fellow women writers for their support, friendship, and inspiration: Thank you, Caroline Leavitt, Hillary Jordan, Lisa Ko, Tayari Jones, Katherine Boo, Laura Moriarty, Mary Grimm, Tricia Springstubb, Regina Brett, Barbara Shapiro, Deanna Fei, Meg Waite Clayton, and Celeste Ng, for being the brilliant, unstoppable forces of nature that you are.
To my literary brothers Jim Sheeler, Ben Fountain, Wiley Cash, Dave Lucas, David Giffels, Philip Metres, Michael Salinger, Salman Rushdie, and Luis Alberto Urrea, thank you for your friendship and inspiration.
Cheers to my fellow Pen Gals—Sarah Willis, Loung Ung, Sara Holbrook, Karen Sandstrom, and Paula McLain—for margaritas and giggles and fierce love. Kris Ohlson, we still miss you.
My colleagues at Case Western Reserve University inspire me daily to do better. Special thanks to Athena Vrettos, Chris Flint, Kim Emmons, Georgia Cowart, and Cyrus Taylor.
Kathy Pories, this novel is greatly improved thanks to your skillful edits and insightful suggestions. Thank you, Dan Greenberg, for helping this novel find its way to Kathy.
Thanks to my friends Judy Griffin, Anne Reid, Barb Hipsman, Bob Springer, Bob Howard, Hutokshi and Perveen Rustomfram, Feroza Freeland, Sharon and Rumy Talati, Dav and Sayuri Pilkey, Kershasp Pundole, Rhonda Kautz, Diana Bilimoria, Kim Conidi, Paula Woods, Regina Webb, Ilona Urban, Marcia Myers, Jenny Wilson, Merilee Nelson, Diane Moran, Kathy Feltey, Marsha Keith, Suzanne Holt, Mary Hagan, Denise Reynolds, Cathy Mockus, Sandra West, Tatyana Rehn, Claudio Milstein, Amy Keating, Wendy Langenderfer, Terri Notte, Brenda Buchanan, Subodh and Meena Chandra, Kathe Goshe, Kate Mathews, Jackie Cerruti Cassara, Gina DiGiovine Goodwin, and so many others. My life would be greatly diminished if you weren’t touring the planet at the same time that I am.
Jim Sheeler, you may be gone, but you will live forever in the hearts of those of us who loved you. Thank you, Annick Sauvageot and James Sheeler, for sharing Jimmy with us.
Lasting thanks to my family, Homai and Noshir Umrigar and Gulshan and Rointon Andhyarujina.
Eust Kavouras, H/S forever.