Michael Carlisle and David Forrer at Inkwell Management are not just agents; they are my superheroes, my protectors, my counselors, and my friends. For all these many years, they have been everything great agents should be: supportive, kind, wise, and, at times, tough. In Hollywood, huge and sincere thanks to Jason Richman and Addison Duffy at UTA. May my future (and yours) include more Elin adaptations to the screen.
I have wanted to be a writer since I was seven years old and everyone at Arrowhead Elementary School knew it. I want to thank my teachers, many of whom have attended at least one (and in some cases more) of my signings: Linda Izett, Lisa Yanak, Fran Rapp, Terry Underkoffler, and, of course, John Hersh. Special shout-out to Lydia Buckwalter, who, along with Jessica Polashenski, gave me the “Top Author” award at the end of second grade. Maybe they saw some kind of rare talent in me at a young age or maybe they just sensed my enthusiasm for making up stories, but in any case, they believed in me and are responsible for setting me on my path. This is the incredible power of being a teacher.
Thank you to Nantucket’s recently retired harbormaster, Sheila Lucey, who explained in detail what happens on Nantucket when someone falls off a boat. I speak for all of Nantucket when I say: Thank you for your service, Sheila. There will never be another harbormaster like you.
Thank you to Carla Castillo for her help with all things NICU-related. To all my nurses out there, thank you for making a difference every single day.
Thank you to Jeff Allen, who served for years and years with the Nantucket Fire Department, for all the background on fires. Any inaccuracies or inconsistencies are mine alone or are included in service of the narrative.
Thank you to Patrick McGee for suggesting pickleball. I do not play myself—as you might be able to tell—but maybe with retirement, I’ll learn!
Thank you to Heather Brinson Clymer for describing what it’s like to live with type 1 diabetes and for explaining how the Dexcom app works. Sending you so much love.
Thank you to my vote for a future College Sailor of the Year, Emily Doble. Emily answered all my sailing inquiries with great patience. Georgetown is lucky to have you!
Shout-out to Madison from Alt Nation and Lithium for compiling a list of Coco’s favorite bands and songs. I figured if anyone would know what Coco would listen to, it was Madison. I’m so lucky to count her as one of my readers.
A special shout-out to my ride-or-dies on each summer book tour: Susan at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth, Zandria and Jackie at Bethany Beach Books, and Marla and Tony Sofia at the Parker House.
Jenn Sherman: Thank you for being with me first thing nearly every single day. #peloton
TGF: There isn’t space in these pages to express my gratitude for the ways you have brightened my life. You always have my heart—and you work a signing line like nobody else.
And now for Nantucket.
To the Nantucket Current: What would we do without you?
To Nantucket Food, Fuel, and Rental Assistance: Thank you for all you do to serve those among us who need a little help. (If anyone feels moved to give back to Nantucket after a visit, this organization is a great way to do it. Visit assistnantucket.org.)
To Nantucket Book Partners, including Mitchell’s Book Corner and Nantucket Bookworks: Thank you for being the best hometown independent bookstore a writer could ask for. My undying love to owner Wendy Hudson as well as Suzanne Bennett, Cristina Machiavelli, Annye Camara, and Dick Burns. In a category by himself, of course, is my work husband, Tim Ehrenberg. Tim, who is the creator of the Bookstagram platform @timtalksbooks as well as my cohost on the podcast Books, Beach & Beyond, is the secret to my success. This is a person who sits with me in the basement at Mitchell’s for hours while I sign and personalize; he’s the genius behind all the marketing and merchandising ideas; he makes all the magic happen, including getting five thousand copies out the door and into the hands of people across the country. He is also one of my closest friends.
I have never been blessed to have family on Nantucket, so over the past thirty years, I created my own family. In good times and terrible times, they have stood by me. Thank you to Rebecca Bartlett; Wendy Rouillard; Wendy Hudson; Debbie Briggs; Chuck and Margie Marino; Elizabeth and Beau Almodobar; Matthew and Evelyn MacEachern; Anne and Whitney Gifford; Jeannie Esti; Melissa Long; Frank and Sue Decoste; Linda Holliday; the fabulous Jane Deery; Julie Lancia; Deb Gfeller; Helaina Jones; Heidi Holdgate; Roy and Shelly Weedon; Jana and Nicky Duarte; the Powers sisters, Sarah, Lulu, Julie, and Sue; Richard Congdon; Norm and Jen Frazee; David Rattner and Andrew Law; West Riggs; Jay Riggs; Manda Riggs; Sally Horchow; the real Corwin Moore; Holly and Marty McGowan; Kit Noble and Emme Duncan; Connie Anne and Jere Harris; James Scheurell; David Handy and Donald Dallaire; Elizabeth Harris; and Mark and Gwenn Snider.
Thank you to my family—my mother, Sally Hilderbrand, and the rest of the gang: Eric and (my incredibly talented interior designer) Lisa Hilderbrand, Randy and Steph Osteen, Todd Thorpe, and Doug and Jen Hilderbrand. Plus all my many (!!!) nieces and nephews. Now that I’m retired, I will have more time to focus on my auntie duties. (Watch out, Patrick!)
My sister, Heather Thorpe, is the person who reminds me I’m not alone in the world. She supports, she runs interference, she handles, she encourages, she brightens, and when I am standing on the knife-edge of my sanity, she is my phone call. She is my end-all, be-all. Everyone should have a Heather.
I dedicated this novel to my ex-husband, Chip Cunningham. Chip has believed in me as a writer since the days when I used to send stories to The New Yorker in a manila envelope—and he comforted me when the inevitable rejections arrived. He spent two grueling winters out in Iowa City while I was in graduate school; one winter he worked at the Oral-B factory inspecting toothbrushes for “wild nylon” so we would have extra money. His support is invaluable and we have successfully headed the Cunningham family with all its various challenges for twenty-five years. I am eternally grateful for his humor, his sunny outlook, his fearless leadership, and his friendship. In the summer of 1993, I went to Nantucket on my own, but it was because of Chip that I returned and it is for this that I owe him the biggest thank-you. It seems nothing short of a miracle: I found a home, thirty miles out to sea.
This brings me to the reason I do anything and everything: my children, Maxx, Dawson, Shelby, and Alex. The four of you are my favorite people to spend time with, so I must have done something right. I love you all beyond the beyond. Thank you for being patient. Now that I’m retiring, I’m free to hang out! Let’s go to the Box!
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About the Author
Elin Hilderbrand has lived year-round on Nantucket for more than thirty years. She enjoys going to the beach, sitting at the bar at Nautilus, dancing in the front row at the Chicken Box, and hanging out with her adult children. Her novel The Perfect Couple is being adapted by Netflix into a six-part limited series starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber. Swan Song is her thirtieth novel.
ALSO BY ELIN HILDERBRAND
The Beach Club
Nantucket Nights
Summer People
The Blue Bistro
The Love Season
Barefoot
A Summer Affair
The Castaways
The Island
Silver Girl
Summerland
Beautiful Day
