Bonnie Friedman read every page of the manuscript more than once and engaged with me so deeply that I felt I had a true ally, a reader who understood what I was trying to do as well as if not better than I did, and inspired me to get there. Amanda Eyre Ward dropped everything to read when I needed a pair of fresh eyes (and quickly saw that Mathinna’s story should begin the book). Anne Burt, Alice Elliott Dark, and Matthew Thomas provided welcome insights. Carolyn Fagan was an invaluable support at every stage.

Writing a novel can be a lonely enterprise. I am grateful for the camaraderie of the Grove Street Gang, a writers’ reading group that includes Bonnie, Anne, and Alice, as well as Marina Budhos and Alexandra Enders. Kristin Hannah, Paula McLain, Meg Wolitzer, Lisa Gornick, Jane Green, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Maureen Connolly, Pamela Redmond, Laurie Albanese, John Veague, and Nancy Star have been true writerly friends and allies. Thanks to my stalwart Montclair Writers’ Group and the NYC-based novelists’ group Word of Mouth (WOM), as well as MoMoLo and KauaiGals (you know who you are!).

My sisters—Cynthia Baker, Clara Baker, and Catherine Baker-Pitts—mean everything to me. They read early drafts, helped to hash out storylines, and are my fellow adventurers in life. I am grateful for moral support from my father, William Baker, his partner, Jane Wright, and my mother-in-law, Carole Kline. My three sons, Hayden, Will, and Eli, bring me endless joy. And what is there left to say about my husband, David Kline, who has been with me at every step and makes my life richer in every way?

About the Author

A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including Orphan Train and A Piece of the World, CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE is published in forty countries. Her novels have been awarded the New England Society Award for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other accolades, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. She has also written or edited five nonfiction books. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the New York Times Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon. Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, she lives in New York City and on Mount Desert Island in Maine.

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Novels by Christina Baker Kline

• A Piece of the World
• Orphan Train
• Orphan Train Girl
• The Way Life Should Be
• Desire Lines
• Sweet Water
• Bird in Hand

Copyright

Lines from the poem entitled “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) from the collection Dawn Is at Hand (Marion Boyars, London, 1993).

This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.