Everything I Never Told You

acknowledgments

Enormous thanks to my agent, Julie Barer, who waited patiently for this novel for six years and who always had more faith in it (and me) than I did. I thank my lucky stars for her. William Boggess, Anna Wiener, Gemma Purdy, and Anna Knutson Geller at Barer Literary have been a delight to work with, and I couldn’t have been in better hands.

My editors at The Penguin Press, Andrea Walker and Ginny Smith Younce, helped make this book immeasurably better and guided me every step of the way. Sofia Groopman brightened my day literally every time we emailed. Jane Cavolina, my copyeditor; Lisa Thornbloom, my proofreader; and Barbara Campo and the production team straightened out my myriad inconsistencies and were exceptionally patient about my use of italics. My publicist, Juliana Kiyan, has been a dynamic and tireless advocate, and I’m deeply grateful to Ann Godoff, Scott Moyers, Tracy Locke, Sarah Hutson, Brittany Boughter, and everyone else at The Penguin Press and Penguin Random House for bringing this book into the world with such enthusiasm and love.

People often insist that writing can’t be taught, but I learned a tremendous amount — about both writing and the writing life — from my teachers. Patricia Powell helped me take my work seriously in my first real writing workshop. Wendy Hyman first suggested the idea of an MFA, and I will forever be in her debt for that. Eliezra Schaffzin offered crucial early encouragement and support, and my incredibly generous professors at Michigan — Peter Ho Davies, Nicholas Delbanco, Matthew Klam, Eileen Pollack, and Nancy Reisman — continue to be a source of wisdom and guidance.

I owe a huge debt to my informal teachers — my writer friends — as well. I’m especially grateful to my fellow Michigan MFAers, especially Uwem Akpan, Jasper Caarls, Ariel Djanikian, Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Joe Kilduff, Danielle Lazarin, Taemi Lim, Peter Mayshle, Phoebe Nobles, Marissa Perry, Preeta Samarasan, Brittani Sonnenberg, and Jesmyn Ward. Ayelet Amittay, Christina McCarroll, Anne Stameshkin, and Elizabeth Staudt deserve double — triple, quadruple — thanks for reading early drafts of this novel over the years and cheering me on. Jes Haberli is not only a trusted sounding board but a much-needed voice of sanity.

Writing is a lonely business, and I’m immensely grateful for the communities that have offered me fellowship along the way. The staff of Fiction Writers Review reminded me, always, that fiction matters, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference introduced me to many friends and literary idols, including the Voltrons. In Boston, Grub Street adopted me into its warm and welcoming writing family — extra helpings of thanks to Christopher Castellani for bringing me into the fold. My writers’ group, the Chunky Monkeys (Chip Cheek, Jennifer De Leon, Calvin Hennick, Sonya Larson, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich,Whitney Scharer, Adam Stumacher, Grace Talusan, and Becky Tuch) provides boundless encouragement and merciless critiques. And whenever I get stuck, Darwin’s Ltd. in Cambridge magically gets me going again with hot tea, the best sandwiches in town, and (somehow) always exactly the right music on the stereo.

Finally, my heartfelt thanks to my friends and family, who have shaped me in innumerable ways. Katie Campbell, Samantha Chin, and Annie Xu have been cheerleaders and confidantes for more than two decades. Many more friends have been there for me along the way than I can list here; you know who you are — thank you. Carol, Steve, and Melissa Fox graciously welcomed me into their word-loving home more than a decade ago. And my family has been an continual source of support, even when they weren’t totally sure what to make of this writing thing; thank you to my parents, Daniel and Lily Ng, and my sister, Yvonne Ng, for letting me (and helping me) find my way. My husband, Matthew Fox, not only encouraged me at every step, he took on endless responsibilities to make it possible for me to write. Without him, this book would not have been possible. And last but not least, thank you to my son, who graciously puts up with his daydreaming mother, constantly makes me laugh, and helps keep everything in perspective: you will always be my proudest accomplishment.