In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
“Do you think it’s too long?” Willa asks.
“It’s perfect, Angel Bear,” Savannah says. “Trust me. This quote defines Vivi.”
Yes, Vivi thinks. Yes.
“Is there any way I could come back from time to time?” Vivi asks. “Maybe check in on them?”
“What have I told you, Vivian?” Martha says. “Never say never.”
Never say never! Vivi thinks. This feels close to a yes.
“Come along,” Martha says, offering a hand. “I’ll walk you down.”
Vivi clasps Martha’s hand and they head through the green door into a tunnel made of clouds. It’s not so bad, Vivi thinks. It’s pretty. Peaceful. She’s looking forward to the Heavenly Banquet.
“I wish I could write a book about all of this,” Vivi says. “You, me, the Beyond, the greenroom, the choir, the nudges, the Hermès scarves…”
Martha shakes her head.
“What about an Instagram post, then?” Vivi says. “It can mysteriously appear on my feed. A picture of you and me with the caption It’s all going to be okay.”
Martha laughs. “Oh, Vivian,” she says.
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Acknowledgments
The idea for this novel came from four people, and I’d like to start by acknowledging them.
As some of you know, my father, Robert H. Hilderbrand Jr., was killed in a plane crash in 1985 when I was sixteen, which was the event that cleaved my life in two. I have long suspected that my dad has been watching over me all these many years and has been instrumental not only in nudging me along in this incredible career but also in keeping me safe during my breast cancer journey.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and in October of that year I faced a life-threatening infection that required me to be flown by helicopter from Nantucket Cottage Hospital to Boston Medical Center. Before I left, a nurse suggested I have someone pull my children out of school and bring them to the hospital so I could say goodbye to them. That, my friends, was a sobering moment. I told my kids that no matter what happened, I would always be with them.
If you’ve read the novel, you can probably understand how these two experiences led me to this book.
By way of thanks, I must start with the brilliant woman who edited this novel, the great Judy Clain. Judy brought out the book’s very best elements and cut all that distracted. I am grateful for and in awe of her sharp eye, her attention to detail, and her deep reservoir of emotional intelligence.
Thank you to my agents, Michael Carlisle and David Forrer, who are my steadfast champions and my safe place in publishing. They are my family and I will never leave them either!
Thank you to everyone at Little, Brown, including （but not limited to） Miya Kumangai, Gabriella Leopardi, Ashley Marudas, Lauren Hesse, Brandon Kelly, my incredible publicist Katharine Myers, Tracy Roe, Jayne Yaffe Kemp, Terry Adams, Craig Young, Karen Torres, Bruce Nichols, Michael Pietsch, and the incomparable Mario Pulice, who designs all my covers. All I do is write the books. The rest of the magic happens in these capable hands.
Thank you to the Facebook Group “The Memories of Growing Up in Parma, Ohio.” I found all of your reminiscences from the 1980s so helpful. Any Parma-related errors are mine alone.
Thank you to my work husband, Tim Ehrenberg, who sat with me in the basement at Mitchell’s Book Corner for endless hours. Tim took photos and videos, came up with giveaways and promotions; he personally labeled mailers and dealt with the remarkable （and remarkably overworked） people at the USPS. In the era of COVID-19, a writer’s best friend is her local independent bookstore, and I want to thank not only Tim but Cristina, Suzanne, Sue, and their fearless leader, Wendy Hudson. Nantucket Book Partners is my home.
Thank you to my family, especially my sister, Heather Osteen Thorpe, who is—quite simply—my Person. I owe her an Hermès scarf because she’s in charge!
To the people who make my world go round: Chuck and Margie Marino, Rebecca Bartlett, Debbie Briggs, Wendy Hudson, Wendy Rouillard, Elizabeth Almodobar, Mark and Gwenn Snider, Evelyn and Matthew MacEachern, Katie Norton, Sue Decoste, Linda Holliday, Jane Deery, Deb Gfeller, Deb Ramsdell, Jeannie Esti, Melissa Long, Manda Riggs, David Rattner and Andrew Law, West Riggs （always my sailing consultant）， Michelle Birmingham, Aleks Orbison, Christina Schwefel, my Peloton Moms Book Group, and the greatest Peloton instructor of them all, Jenn Sherman （thank you for getting me through the long months of quarantine in good shape）。 Thank you to Alex Small for allowing me to be his second mom. Thank you to Timothy Field—you rise for me in the east, set in the west, and shine for me every darn day.