by Ling Ma
The MFA program at Cornell University provided the funding and resources that allowed me to finish this novel. Thank you in particular to J. Robert Lennon, Stephanie Vaughn, and Helena Viramontes. And much praise to the English administration office for their organizational prowess.
Thank you for your kindness and generosity: Melody Flahart, Lee Froehlich, Isabelle Gilbert, Baird Harper, Jacob Knabb, Elizabeth Merrick, Katie Moore, Hajara Quinn, Kirsten Saracini. Ed Park, thank you for letting me steal NY Ghost (RIP the NewYork Ghost)!
My family relieved me from the immigrant pressures of traditional success. I am grateful for their love and unreasonable acceptance.
Finally, thank you to Valer Popa, who has been swimming alongside me all this time.
A Note About the Author
Ling Ma was born in Sanming, China, and grew up in Utah, Nebraska, and Kansas. She attended the University of Chicago and received an MFA from Cornell University. Prior to graduate school she worked as a journalist and an editor. Her writing has appeared in Granta, VICE, Playboy, Chicago Reader, Ninth Letter, and other publications. A chapter of Severance received the 2015 Graywolf SLS Prize. She lives in Chicago. You can sign up for email updates here.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Acknowledgments
A Note About the Author
Copyright
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
175 Varick Street, New York 10014
Copyright © 2018 by Ling Ma
All rights reserved
First edition, 2018
E-book ISBN: 978-0-374-71711-7
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