The Book of You: A Novel (29 page)

But the story forgets to mention that each of her wrists is ringed by a scar. She wears these indelible bracelets for the rest of her life. And she refuses to cover them up, even if they do slowly fade over time.

Acknowledgments

I
DIDN’T DO ANY
of this alone. I am deeply grateful to my agent, Euan Thorneycroft, for his belief in and championing of
The Book of You
, and for all of the extraordinary things he does. Without him,
The Book of You
would not be a book at all. The team at A. M. Heath are incomparable. Euan Thorneycroft and Pippa McCarthy offered editorial advice that helped to make
The Book of You
better than it otherwise would have been. Jennifer Custer and Hélène Ferey were passionate in bringing the novel to other countries for translation rights; it is a huge privilege for a writer to be able to speak to readers in other languages. Pippa McCarthy and Vickie Dillon helped with countless things that would otherwise have defeated me.

It is a great honor to be published by HarperCollins. To work with so many exceptionally talented people is very special and rare. Sarah Hodgson in the UK, Claire Wachtel in the USA, and Iris Tupholme in Canada offered inspiring and wise editorial guidance. To have any one of them as an editor would be a tremendous privilege; to have all three is an astonishing piece of good fortune. Their perceptiveness and vision are remarkable, as are their consideration, care, and attention.

From HarperCollins UK, I am particularly grateful to Kate Stephenson, for all of her hard work in seeing
The Book of You
through the production process, for her unparalleled creative input, including the breathtaking shout lines she came up with for the cover, and for her patience and kindness; to Louise Swannell, for handling my publicity with such genius and flair; to Anne O’Brien, for her incredibly careful and elegant copyediting, and responsive reading; to Ben Gardiner, for the enchanting design and typesetting of the novel’s interior; to Dominic Forbes, for the stunning and compelling cover; to Adrian Hemstalk, for turning
The Book of You
into a material object and ebook that people can actually hold in their hands; to Laura Fletcher and her wonderful sales team of Sarah Collett, Lisa Hunter, and Tom Dunstan; to Lucy Upton, for the brilliant marketing campaign; to Damon Greeney, for coordinating the sale of the novel across HarperCollins’s international markets; and to Eamonn McCabe, for his photographic artistry.

From HarperCollins USA, I am especially grateful to Jonathan Burnham for his support and enthusiasm; to Hannah Wood, for coordinating so many things so beautifully and for helping me navigate the journey from manuscript to book so expertly; to Richard Ljoenes, for the hauntingly beautiful cover; to Michael Correy, for the exquisite design of the novel’s interior; to Heather Drucker, my extremely talented and lovely publicist; to Kathy Schneider and Katie O’Callaghan, for the fantastic marketing campaign; to Emily Walters and Cindy Achar, for seeing the novel through the production process; and to my copy editor, Mary Beth Constant, for her sharp eyes, scrupulous judgement, and careful intelligence.

From HarperCollins Canada, I am particularly grateful to Doug Richmond, for making sure everything came together so perfectly; to Maria Golikova, who managed the elegant Canadian catalog copy; to Sonya Koson, my wonderful publicist; and to the team of Noelle Zitzer, Maria Golikova, Allegra Robinson, and Kelly Hope, for their collaborative effort in seeing the Canadian edition of
The Book of You
through production.

Richard Kerridge’s intellectual and imaginative influence has been powerfully formative; he has my heartfelt gratitude for his constantly wise judgement, painstaking support, and brilliant advice. Gerard Woodward is a generous and knowledgeable friend and mentor; his advocacy of
The Book of You
meant more to me than I can say. Sheryl’s very dear friendship has sustained me for as long as I can remember. Colin Edwards and Julia Green were kind and gentle and constructive when I needed them. Richard Francis and Christopher Nicholson were there for me when I sought wise guidance. Richard Kerridge, Gerard Woodward, and Richard Francis also offered insightful critical responses to the novel, as did Tim Liardet, Suzanne Woodward, Miranda Liardet, Ellen McWilliams, and Ross Davis. I am hugely indebted to the firemen who helped with this book and patiently answered my many questions; they embody all that is good. Any errors and fabrications are my own.

My father is the most patient reader imaginable. My mother has the gift of unwavering wisdom and true beauty. Her love and support, and my father’s, have always been my touchstone. Uncle Gary and Auntie Barbara gave me another precious book of fairy tales, and so much else. My sister Bella always tells me the truth and is always on my side—she is all that her name suggests, and I would be lost without her. My brother Robert showed his usual sweetness and good humor in the face of my unavoidable need to steal his name for one of my characters. My three daughters are magical in all ways, and make everything more meaningful and beautiful.

T
HE EPIGRAPH FROM
“Blue Beard” by Charles Perrault is taken from
Four and Twenty Fairy Tales: Selected from Those of Perrault, and Other Popular Writers
, translated by J. R. Planché (London and New York: G. Routledge & Co., 1858), p. 4.

Citations from “Fitcher’s Bird,” “The Robber Bridegroom,” and “The Three Snake-Leaves” are all from
Grimms’ Household Tales
, translated and edited by Margaret Hunt, volume 1 (London: George Bell and Sons, 1884), pp. 72, 165, 178.

About the Author

C
LAIRE
K
ENDAL LIVES
in the UK, where she lectures in English literature and creative writing.
The Book of You
is her first novel, and it will be translated into nineteen languages.

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www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Credits

Cover design by Richard Ljoenes.

Cover photographs: © Karl Gough / Trevillion Images; © Roy Bishop / arcangel-images.com.

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE BOOK OF YOU
. Copyright © 2014 by Claire Kendal. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-0-06-229760-0

EPub Edition MAY 2014 ISBN 9780062297624