Authors: Yvvette Edwards
The Mother (22 page)
EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME
during the writing of
The Mother,
who has provided the essential space, friendship, humor, shoulder, ears, and encouragement to enable me to get to The End, you have my heartfelt thanks and gratitude always.
I am indebted to my first readersâDanielle Acquah, Olcay Aniker, Corinne Dowd, Colin Edwards, Elizabeth Galloway, and Jaclyn Griffithsâfor their insightful feedback and suggestions that helped to shape this novel. For invaluable discussions, pointers, and information, thank you very much to Shawn Bulbulia-McClean, Daryll Ellick, Paul Etheridge, Vicky Guedalla, Mark Ashford, Alistair Fruish, and Stephen Graham. For the germination of time itself, thank you to Jindra Adamova and Angelo Iuliano. And to Sukti Neogi, planter of seeds, thank you too.
For generosity of spirit, advice, and practical assistance, I would very much like to thank Robin Lockhart of Catalyst in Communities. I am indebted to Mandisa Knights for legal advice and her endeavors to keep me watertight. I apologize for liberties I have taken with that advice and embrace any resulting errors as mine alone. I would very much like to thank Hakim Kayizzi from East London for his inestimable assistance. I am also deeply grateful to Yvonne Lawson, of the Godwin Lawson Foundation, for being so receptive and open to the discussions that have had a huge impact on this novel.
Eve White, my agent, thank you for your inexhaustible optimism and your belief in my writing. Tracy Sherrod, Editorial Director at Amistad, thank you for your continued support, enthusiasm, and advice. And Sam Humphreys, Associate Publisher at Mantle, Pan Macmillan, thank you very much for your patience, guidance, and sound judgment. Much appreciated.
YVVETTE EDWARDS,
the author of
the highly praised
A Cupboard Full of Coats
, has lived in London all her life. She resides in the East End and is married with three daughters and a stepson.
The Mother
is her second novel.
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THE MOTHER.
Copyright © 2016 by Yvvette Edwards. 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
First published in the United Kingdom, in a different form, by Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, in 2016.
ISBN: 978-0-06-244077-8
EPub Edition MAY 2016 ISBN 9780062440808
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