Three Years with the Rat (25 page)

Thanks first and foremost to my teachers and mentors: Lee Henderson, who gave some neuroscience guy a shot in his fiction class and nurtured that guy's love of “the enigma”; Steven Galloway, who always found space in his workshops for this impostor to better himself; and Annabel Lyon, who graciously offered her encouragement and masterful eye in refining this novel at both the structural and technical level. I am deeply grateful for all the effort and time you invested in me.

There would be no
Rat
book without Martha Webb and Nicole Winstanley. Martha, agent extraordinaire, was instrumental in smoothing out the manuscript's kinks, as well as knowing exactly whose hands in which to place this book. She also managed to be unfailingly warm and patient with me. Nicole, editor and publisher of my dreams, worked tirelessly to make this book more of itself; she embraced the weird and sloughed off the unnecessary. Oh, and she did this all without compromise while on her maternity leave. She's a phenomenon. Thank you both for believing in me and in the
Rat
book.

Thanks also to Nicole's team at Penguin/Hamish Hamilton for all your hard work and for, in a very real sense, knowing this book better than I do. Special thanks to Lara Hinchberger for her incisive, specific guidance in the revisions of the manuscript; it was invaluable.

My two preliminary readers, Jen Neale and Kevin Lee, were endlessly supportive throughout the drafting process, giving me feedback after each chunk, helping me understand the readers' responses to each element and character, pointing me toward what worked and away from
what didn't. I'm a lucky guy to have dear friends and creative peers like Jen and Kevin. Please go read their fantastic fictions!

Thank you also to early readers of the book for all their feedback and help: Keith Maillard and the other members of his fiction workshop; Chris Gilligan; Brendan Harrington; Paul Cocker; Dave Cayley; Mark Meeks; and Amy Kenny. You've all got good karma coming out the wazoo.

Finally, a round of gratitude to all my friends and loved ones who provided enthusiasm, motivation, and support while I finished the book. Specifically, thank you to Ken and Jan Hosking, the Hosking clan, Mair Cayley, my Toronto gang, my Vancouver gang, and Zoë Miles. I owe you all.

These are the albums I played on repeat while writing the
Rat
book. Most are instrumental and evoke specific moods I wanted to capture. Please take a listen, and if you like what you hear, support the artists by buying their incredible records.

William Basinski,
The Disintegration Loops

The Field,
Looping State of Mind

A Winged Victory for the Sullen (
self-titled
)

Disasterpeace,
Fez OST

Rachel's,
The Sea and the Bells

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross,
The Social Network OST

Gregor Samsa,
55:12

Battles,
Gloss Drop

Constantines,
Shine a Light

Charles Bradley,
No Time for Dreaming—The Instrumentals

Land of Talk,
Some Are Lakes

Ladyhawk,
Shots