I’m so lucky to have the best writing groups a writer could ask for. Thank you to Lisa Rivers, Kath Jonathan, Jenny Prior, Caroline Gill, Emily Murray, Susie Whelehan, and Suzy Dugard for sharing so generously, championing so passionately, and pouring the wine when all else fails. I cannot overstate how invaluable their feedback is or what an integral part of my writing process they are. Lisa, thank you especially for all the parties you’ve thrown for me and for your brilliant editorial contributions. You are an angel.

I have been blessed with so many wonderful friends and such an amazing family that it’s impossible to thank them all individually. Their endless support and encouragement have meant more to me than they could ever know, and I can only hope that I’ve expressed my gratitude to each of them for being a part of my life and for brightening my days. Leana Marais, thank you for buying enough copies of Hum If You Don’t Know the Words to sink a battleship. To my nieces, nephews, and godchildren, thank you for not being too embarrassed by me and for constantly rearranging bookshelves so my books are always front and center. Charmaine Shepherd, you remain both my rock and my guiding light; my kindred spirit and my hero.

Thank you to everyone in my life for buying countless books and then forcing them on everyone they know, and for always coming out in support at book fairs, readings, events, and bookstores.

I am so grateful to my readers and to book clubs who have been so gracious and kind, and who have welcomed me into their homes either in person or virtually. It’s such a joy to get to speak with fellow readers and to listen to their feedback and brilliant insights. I write to make sense of my world, but it’s my readers who teach me the most about my work! I can be reached at [email protected] to set up a book club Skype appointment.

Thanks to Muggle for taking me on regular walks and to Wombat for all the “acupuncture.”

Finally, my biggest thanks goes to my husband, Stephen, who doesn’t allow me to take anything too seriously and whose favorite joke reflects his general silliness: “You know how when you see ducks flying in a ‘V,’ how the one side of the ‘V’ is always longer than the other? Do you know why that is? It’s because there are more ducks on that side.”

Thanks for always making me laugh, Poodle, and for being you.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC): a political party banned during apartheid; the ruling party of South Africa since 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president

AFRIKAANS: a language derived from the form of Dutch brought to the Cape by white settlers from Holland in the seventeenth century