Virginia Reeves - Work Like Any Other

After days or possibly months — dust having gathered on our shoulders, birds having nested in our clothes, our skin sallowed and dry, our eyes turned to glass — I finally opened that handsome door I’d stripped and oiled myself and held it wide. Marie walked under my arm, and neither of us spoke. Outside, the sun shone its slanted light, the breeze swung the needles and the leaves of the trees, the grasses sprouted through the blackened patch, tiny threads of green. Marie walked away, but I am still there, standing in the doorway of my home. Maggie stands next to me, an old dog now. Jenny’s garden is tall, and electricity runs through the lines over my head.

I would like to thank my parents, John and Debbie Reeves, for raising me in a house full of books. You started this whole thing. I thank my sister, Annie Shaw, for her inspiring brilliance and individuality. My grandparents, Jim and Terry Reeves, introduced me to Alabama. Thank you, Bam, for keeping that door open. I wish Paspa were here to celebrate with us. My aunt Terrie and uncle Wil have been unflagging in their support and love throughout my writing career. I am fortunate to have Art and Linda Compton and Dick and Rita Swenson in my corner. They are family in all the right ways.

This book would not exist without the open arms of the Michener Center, specifically Jim Magnuson, Michael Adams, Elizabeth McCracken, Marla Akin, and Debbie Deweese. The idea for this novel was born in a history writing course with H. W. Brands. My cohort at the Michener Center remains a fierce force of greatness. Extended thanks go to Ben Roberts, Carolina Ebeid, Kate Finlinson, and Shamala Gallagher. Mimi Chubb was an early reader, and this book is better for her comments. Kevin Powers helped me bring my work to a bigger audience, and I am grateful for his support.

My colleagues and students at the Khabele School have been instrumental in the creation of this novel, offering feedback, encouragement, and accountability. I finished this novel with my students. Tyler Clayton asked me every day if I’d worked on the book. In response to an early draft, Atticus Tait suggested I spend more time with Marie; her sections stemmed from his advice.

The amazing Mauro clan gave me a beautiful, quiet space to finish my revisions. Eric and Jaclyn Mann, Kelley and Nate Janes, Ryan Phillips, John Mulvany, and Ashleigh Pedersen are the best fan club anyone could ask for. They’re damn good friends, too.

My agent, Peter Straus, is an incredible editor and advocate, and he’s responsible for reviving my own belief in my work. My editors at Scribner, Nan Graham and Daniel Loedel, are not only brilliant but delightful to work with. I am so fortunate to reap the benefits of their keen observations and insights.

My thanks go to Maggie McCall, whose loyalty and strength are alive in her namesake. Bethany Flint’s morality and resilience flow through the pages of this book.

I became a writer under the mentorship of the poet Loren Graham, and he remains one of my most valued readers and friends. Special thanks and love to Fiona McFarlane, the perfect guide to this adventure and the most wonderful person I know.

And lastly, I thank my family. Margot, thank you for your inspiring discipline, your unapologetic and rigid morals, and your tremendous encouragement and love. Hannah, you are mature and wise beyond your years, and you’ve woven your way into the heart of this book in more ways than even I know. And finally, to Luke Muszkiewicz, my greatest and oldest advocate. You have been challenging and supporting me since I was nineteen, and you have never wavered in your faith in my work. I am here because of your trust, love, and patience. Thank you.

Photograph by Suzanne Koet

Virginia Reeves is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. Her fiction has appeared in The Common and The Baltimore Review and has been short-listed for the Tennessee Williams Fiction Contest and the Alexander Patterson Cappon Fiction Award. She has spent the majority of her life in Montana, but currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two daughters. Work Like Any Other is her first novel.

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