Then, a great big thank-you goes to my amazing publisher, Putnam. I’m so proud to be a part of the Putnam family and can’t believe how lucky I am to have such incredible people in my corner. Thank you to Danielle Dieterich, my wonderful editor, who took a mess of a first draft and shaped it into something I’m incredibly proud of. Her insight and guidance were invaluable and it was an absolute joy working with her.

I am forever indebted to: Ivan Held, Christine Ball, Sally Kim, Alexis Welby, Ashley Pattison McClay, Lauren Monaco, Emily Ollis, Madeline Schmitz, Brennin Cummings, as well as the Design and Production departments, my copy editor, Chandra Wohleber, all the Penguin Random House Sales consultants, the Foreign Rights division, and everyone else who had a hand in bringing this book to life and then distributing it. Katie McKee is the best PR person an author could ever wish for. Seriously, the world would be an infinitely better and kinder place if Katie were in charge of running it. Katie for president! Jordan Aaronson is an absolute delight and I’m so grateful to her for being such an amazing champion and for all her hard work. Thanks to Kaitlin Kall for designing another fabulous cover. Thanks as well to my awesome Penguin Random House Canadian team: Bonnie Maitland, Christina Vecchiato, Sam Church (Ruinsky), and Emma Ingram just to name a few.

Booksellers, librarians, book bloggers, and bookstagrammers are some of my favorite people, and I couldn’t do what I do without their amazing support. Their passion for reading ensures that books find their way into the right hands, and I can’t thank them enough for that or for being such a wonderfully supportive community. Thanks especially to Scott Pardon and Courtney Calder for all their phenomenal cheerleading.

A great big thank-you goes to my phenomenal agent, Cassandra Rogers of The Rights Factory, for never giving up on me, and for all that she does to make my career possible. Thanks as well to Olga Filina for her great big heart and excellent editorial brain. I can’t sing Cass’s and Olga’s praises loudly enough.

Thanks to Melusi Tshabalala of “Melusi’s Everyday Zulu” fame for being a superb sensitivity reader and helping me get the Zulu language and culture right. Follow him on Facebook and buy his hilarious and educational book—you won’t be sorry that you did! Thanks to Shayne Broomberg and Brett Uys for their technical advice with regards to farming, generators, and power stations. Thanks to Walter G. Speirs for answering questions about Scottish dialect; Tracey du Preez and Maureen Mokoena for answering medical questions; Izak Furstenburg for helping with Afrikaans translations; Liezel Klopper and Lynne Harrison for farming-life information; and Danielle De Grooth for designing a kick-ass map. All mistakes were my own!