‘A shooting star, Yaya!’
The sirens seem to get closer, a screaming violin concerto, then swerve away until all that’s left is a distant echo.
‘Fuck, that was close, Tommy.’ I look at him, my whole body shaking. What could have happened plays out for a moment.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuckety-fuck!’
His hot hand climbs inside my already blistering palm.
‘Ouchy, Yaya.’ He drops his hand, inspects my palm and traces the blisters with his fingertips, then blows on its surface.
Herbie and Marmie huddle against my ankles.
‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’
‘Who are you talking to, Yaya?’
Our four faces tilt upwards, as if under a spell. The navy night sky is lit up. We all watch, transfixed, as the wheel of fire skitters off on its new trajectory, trailing in its wake a cloud of fiery glitter. I bend to him, blow the charred fragments off his face, tuck his hair behind his ear and pick him up. He nuzzles into me, his eyelashes brushing my cheeks, his breath in my ear: a divine whisper. Silence falls like a velvet curtain. Swish.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my wonderful agent, Clare Alexander, without whose support, patience and vision this book would not exist. To Ellah Wakatama Allfrey for introducing us in the first place, I am incredibly grateful. To Lesley Thorne and all at Aitken Alexander, for allowing me to be part of your special team. To Geffen Semach, my most patient reader, my ally and friend, thank you. To the brilliant editor Gillian Stern for helping to unlock the heart of this book with her exceptional insight.
To the Arts Council of Ireland for their invaluable bursary; to Arvon and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre for providing beautiful spaces and inspiration along the way; to Linda Walsh for her generosity and sea view.
To all my early readers: Siona, Emer, Gene, Sonya, Earnan, Beth, Julie – thank you. Special thanks to Brian Langan for his perceptive notes and to Michelle Moran, Seamus Hosey, Hugh O’Conor and Tom Farrelly for their friendship and tireless reading. To June Caldwell, Joanne Hayden and Elizabeth McSkeane for their incisive critiquing and support along the way.
To my fearless, visionary editor, Alexis Kirschbaum, I am so grateful for your belief in this book. To all the team at Bloomsbury for their professionalism and support, in particular Sarah Ruddick, Laura Meyer, Rachel Wilkie, Jo Forshaw, Jasmine Horsey, Sarah McLean and everyone who worked on this novel. To Hermione Davis in the Australian office. To Greg Heinimann for his gorgeous cover design. To Silvia Crompton for her copy-editing skills. An absolute pleasure to work with you all.
To Mum, Dad, Aisling, Shell, Clara and all my friends and family near and far. To my brother Stephen, who I want to thank most especially for his generosity in sharing so much of his journey with me. With love and gratitude to everyone who has stood by me and helped shape this book in some way.
A Note on the Author
Lisa Harding is a writer, actress, playwright and the author of one previous novel, Harvesting. She lives in Dublin.