Disclaimer

Acknowledgments

The following people are my “without whoms”—thank you all so much.

Richard Skinner of the Faber Academy for his brilliant guidance and to my fellow Faberites of 2012 for unstinting support; brave friends Nic Allsop, Meera Bedi, Claire Calman, and Beth Holgate who read and encouraged; Tiana Brooke for her inspiration; all those at HarperCollins for ensuring the book is as good as it could be; Felicity Blunt for her intelligence and her kindness, and to all those who work with her at Curtis Brown; and finally to my husband, Greg Brenman, for popping me in the shed with a laptop and suggesting I get on with it….