She took the bones of his hand, put them into her bag, and stood. It was nearly dark outside, but she could see enough to walk into the living room and gently lift her great-grandmother’s quilt from the sofa. She hugged it close, breathed in the smell of it, of her mother, of her home she once had. She carefully draped it over one arm, and with her free hand lifted the glass lamp by the door. Pulling out the wick, she turned it over and poured out the kerosene onto the sofa. Then she picked up a match, struck it on the wall, and watched it catch. As it burned down the wooden stick she thought of all that she lost, and she had lost so very much. She’d found something, too, though. Love. Acceptance. Forgiveness. All the things she’d wished for her whole life were there now, right in front of her. She tossed the match onto the sofa and for just a moment, watched the flames dance and grow. Then she opened the door, felt the hot wind upon her flesh, and walked out of her shack.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank the many people in my life who gave me love, support, and guidance during the years in which I worked on this book. To my family for making sure I had the time and space to write and for loving me endlessly. To Bill Lovaas, your spirit and love means everything to me. To my Dewey Lounge crew—Jolene McIlwain, Jan Elman Stout, Dave Barnette, Jean-Marie Saporito; writer friends are the best friends. To my colleagues—Peter Kahn, Erika Eckart, Bernie Heidkamp, and Aaron Podolner—thank you for reading and championing my work. To my teacher Lee Martin at VCFA for pushing me to stick with the story even when I doubted myself. To my #PitchWars mentor Carolyn Topdjian for recognizing promise in my first draft and guiding me to exactly where I needed to go. To my agent, James McGowan, for working tirelessly to ensure that this book found the perfect home. And to my editor at Titan Books, Sophie Robinson, for her keen eye and spectacular vision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Kat Young is a writer and teacher living in Chicago with her family. Her works blend genre and seek to explore a deeper understanding of human behavior. The 2019–2021 Writer-in-Residence at the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, her works have appeared in The Blood Pudding, Shoreline of Infinity, The Lindenwood Review, and others. The Butcher is her debut novel.

www.laurakatyoung.com

@writerlylaura

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