'To
my mother,' Emmanuel said.
Writing
is solitary work made possible with the help of others. I thank the following:
Imkulunkulu, the great, great one. The ancestors. My siblings Penny, Byron and
Jan and their partners Brian, Monique and Keith for opening their homes to my family
every summer. To Dr Gerald Lazarus and Dr Audrey Jakubowski-Lazarus, Lynne and
Andrew Shear, Laura and Saul Goldstein and Elyse De Jong who allowed us to
crash their summer holidays. A generous family is a blessing beyond words.
My
husband Mark, a true partner in everything that I do. You make the impossible
possible. My children Elijah and Sisana, two bright and beautiful sparks who
light up the world and start fires with equal ease.
Darryl
Robinson for the beautiful author photographs.
Kerrie
McGovan and Burcak Muraben for dressing me in goose down and leather for my
winter trip to America.
Hannah
and David Shear for making a home for me in New York, complete with snowfall
and a cat curled at my feet.
Rose
and Eric Campbell for use of their lovely beach cottage for writing retreats.
Steve Worland and Georgie Parker for friendship and arranging the keys.
Literary
agents Sophie Hamley of the Cameron Creswell Agency and Catherine Drayton of
InkWell Management who do an amazing job of getting my work out into the world.
For
historical and cultural help special thanks to Terence King, author, police and
military researcher and historian. Also, Helenore Labuschagne for her valuable
memories and Kevan Mardan and Uschie Bischofberger for a fun but informative tour
of Durban. Any errors or omissions are entirely my own.
Deepest
thanks to the stellar Pan Macmillan team for making my dreams a reality. Maria
Rejt in London. Rod Morrison and James Fraser in Sydney. I am in good hands.
Editors Emma Rafferty and Sophie Orme who guided me out of blind alleys and
helped me find the best version of my story.
Thank
you all.