The Way Back from Broken (26 page)

“Jacey found this on our trip. It reminds me of you.”

He brushed his thumb across its smooth surface. “They invited me to go back next summer, to spread Jordan's ashes on Allard Lake.”

He tucked the stone back into his pocket. “I'll keep this safe. Until next summer. Then I'll take it to Allard.”

Rakmen was full up with a swirl of emotions.

Love and loss, fear and hope—

They eddied through him, a current carrying him into the future.

The last thing Rakmen did before closing the book was place his pen beneath his sister's name and write—

Au large.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Books are hard to write, especially ones like this that are wrenched from the center of a very deep wound. All along the way I was buoyed up and cheered on and urged forward by an extraordinary circle of people. I am so grateful.

My family, Seth, Fisher, and Beryl, join me on every adventure, make space for my creative work, and always challenge me to be my best self. They are my safe place, my joy, and my everything good.

My parents, Marilynne and John, taught me to carry a canoe and paddle stern and count crackers and work hard. Because of them, I was lucky enough to know wilderness as a child, a gift I have tried to pass on to my own children.

My dear friends, Rebecca, Carrie, Chrissy, and Heather, have been there every step of the way, commiserating, conspiring, and celebrating with me. Shared loss brought Kristen and Mari into my life. Their support and understanding got me through many dark days. Jackie was there at the beginning, a life line.

My writing group, the Viva Scrivas, understood my vision for this book, read and reread chapter after chapter, and reminded me not to let the mother take over the story. My agent, Fiona Kenshole, took this manuscript when it was a half-finished mess, saw the beating heart of the story, and told me that I really must finish it. My editor, Andrew Karre, has a deft and subtle pen. At every turn, he pushed me to go deeper into the most painful parts of the story. It is a truer book because of him.

The team at Carolrhoda Lab and Lerner Publishing have been amazing. They made this writer feel like a super star at every turn. I also want to thank Ron for offering his expertise on fractures, Renee for fixing my Spanish, and Eric for translating the French.

Most deeply of all, I am grateful for Esther Rose. She changed everything.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amber J. Keyser is a former ballerina and evolutionary biologist with a master's degree in zoology and a doctorate in genetics. As a research scientist, she studied evolution in western bluebirds, blue grosbeaks, marine copepods, and fruit flies and published extensively in the scientific literature. Now she writes both fiction and nonfiction for young adult readers.
The Way Back from Broken
is her first novel.