Lauren Holmes: Barbara the Slut and Other People

“Is that your friend?” he said.

“No,” I said.

“He’s not my friend either,” he said.

I drove. George kept my hand and rubbed it until my skin burned.

P.E. (a.k.a. Alicia Erian) — thank you for telling me I could do it, thank you for teaching me how, and thank you for a decade of advice, encouragement, and love. Colum McCann — thank you for being my champion and for pushing me further than I thought I could go. Peter Carey — thank you for making magic at Hunter and for saying that sometimes it’s enough to be funny. Nathan Englander — thank you for being my mentor and my friend, thank you for being there for me at every stage of this book, and thank you for teaching me so much of what I know about words, sentences, and stories.

Phil Klay — thank you for making me write this book (I should have known it would take a Marine), and for reading every word one million times. Jessica Ruth Lacher — thank you for also reading every word one million times, and for all the tough love.

To my agent, Duvall Osteen — thank you for believing in me, thank you for guiding me, thank you for doing all the hard parts. You’re a real badass, and I’m grateful and honored to have you as my agent and my friend.

To my magical editor, Becky Saletan — thank you for seeing what I hoped you would see in this book, and for editing it so organically and so brilliantly.

To the team at Riverhead — Geoff Kloske, Claire McGinnis, Glory Anne Plata, Katie Freeman, Jynne Martin, Michelle Koufopoulos, Deborah Weiss Geline, Meighan Cavanaugh, and Rachel Willey — thank you for everything. I’m so lucky to work with you.

Casey Leon — thank you for reading and laughing. Kate Sarrantonio — thank you for your careful and conscious reads.

Thank you to all the writers, teachers, friends, and other champions who inspired me, taught me, read for me, and supported me before, during, and after this book — there are too many of you to name but you know who you are.

To my family — you’re the most important characters in my life, even though you aren’t characters in this book (I hope you’re grateful for that). Thank you for always listening to my stories, even when they were super fucking boring. Thank you for your unlimited love and support.

And even though Honey is dead and Rhoda and Tallulah can’t read, thank you to my three dogs for keeping me company while I worked, for inspiring me, for making me laugh, and for rescuing me from the loneliness of being human.