Biquge www.xbiquge.bz, the fastest updated silent confession!
A huge thank you to my agent, Julie Barr, who patiently waited six years for this novel to come out. She has always been more confident about this book (and me) than I am, and I thank my lucky stars that she was given to me. Thanks to William Boggs, Anna Weiner, Gemma Purdy, and Anna Knutson-Geller of Barr Publishing Agency, who were all delightful collaborators and my best assistants.
Thanks to my editors at Penguin, Andrea Walker and Ginny Smith Youngs, who helped and guided me every step of the way, making this book a huge improvement; thank you To Sofia Groopman, whose emails always brighten my day; to my copyeditor, Jane Cavolina; to Lisa Thornblum for proofreading; to Barbara Kemp and the production team, who smoothed out the numerous inconsistencies in my book and tolerated my tendency to use italics. To my publicity agent, Juliana Kiyan, for being such a dynamic and persistent advocate; to Ann Gedof, Scott Moyers, Tracy Locke, Sarah Herr Sen, Brittany Porter, and the rest of the staff at Penguin and Penguin Random House, who bring this book to the world with boundless passion and love.
People often insist that writing can't be learned, but I learned a lot about writing and the writing life from my teachers. Patricia Powell helped me learn to take my work seriously when I attended my first real writing workshop. Wendy Hyman gave me the unprecedented advice to pursue an MFA, and for that I am forever grateful to her. I received extremely important encouragement and support from Elisabeth Shafzin; my professors at the University of Michigan—Peter H. Davis, Nicholas Delbanco, Matthew Crumb, Irene Pollack and Nancy Reisman—have provided me with selfless help and will remain a source of wisdom and guidance.
I also owe a lot to my writer friends who are not strictly teachers. I would like to express special thanks to my MFA classmates at the University of Michigan, especially Uwem Akpan, Jasper Kals, Ariel Yanikyan, Jenny Ferrari-Adler, Joe Kilduff, Danielle Lazarin, Tammy Lim, Peter Maschl, Phoebe Nobles, Marissa Perry, Preeta Samarasan, Brittany Thornburgh and Jesmyn Ward. Ayelet Amitay, Christina McCarroll, Anne Stamyskin, and Elizabeth Stout read early drafts of this book and have cheered me on for years. They deserve both. Thank you twice, even three times or four times. Jess Hubley is not only a trusted advocate but also an indispensable voice of clarity.
Writing is a lonely profession, and I am very grateful to the various groups that have accompanied me along the way. The staff at Fiction Writers Review kept reminding me that “novel matters,” and the Breedlove Writers Guild introduced me to many friends and literary icons, including my own clique. In Boston, the Grubb Street Writing Guild welcomed me into its welcoming writing family—a special thanks to Christopher Castellani for introducing me. The writers group I belong to, Humpty Monkeys (Chip Chick, Jennifer DeLeon, Calvin Hernic, Sonya Larson, Alessandria Marzano-Lesne Vicky, Whitney Schaal, Adam Stumacher, Grace Talusan, and Becky Tucci) for their endless encouragement and relentless criticism. Whenever I get stuck, Cambridge's Darwin's Restaurant magically gets me over the hump with hot tea, the best sandwiches in the city, and (to a certain extent) music that's totally appropriate to the occasion.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to my friends and family who have shaped who I am in so many ways. Katie Campbell, Samantha King, and Anne Xu have been my supporters and confidantes for over twenty years. There are so many friends who have always supported me that I can’t name here, but you know who I’m talking about—thank you. More than a decade ago, Carol, Steve, and Melissa Fox graciously welcomed me into their word-loving family. My family is my constant support, even if they don’t fully understand writing; to my parents, Daniel and Lily Ng, and to my sister, Yvonne Ng, for allowing me (and helping me) find Make your own path. Thank you to my husband, Matthew Fox, for not only encouraging me every step of the way, but for taking on endless responsibilities to make my creations possible. Without him, this book would not exist. Last but not least, I want to thank you, my son, for graciously putting up with my daydreaming mother, for making me laugh, for helping me see things in their proper perspective, You will always be my proudest achievement.