Barefoot: A Novel

Everything matters. Every little thing.

“Amen,” Dolores says.

The closing prayer is over. Vicki has missed it. Or has she?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book marks a new beginning for me. I would like to thank my agent, Michael Carlisle, for his wise counsel; he has been with me every step of the way. Also, David Forrer, for his canny suggestions, which resulted in a better book al the way around. I thank Jennifer Weis and Sal y Richardson for sticking with me through seven years and five books; they are both extraordinary women. At Little, Brown, I would like to thank Reagan Arthur and Michael Pietsch for taking me on with such enthusiasm, as wel as Oliver Haslegrave for his gal ant assistance. I feel like I have been born anew.

Thank you to Dr. Wil iam G. Porter, who is not only a friend and a discerning reader/critic, but an oncologist. We talked extensively about lung cancer and its various treatments. Any inaccuracies in the text, however, are mine alone. Thank you to Dr. Jason Lamb, thoracic surgeon, who briefed me on the pertinent details of a pneumonectomy. And thank you to my aunt, Ruthann Hal , who is a cancer survivor. Her details of chemotherapy and its mental / emotional/physical side effects were both inspiring and helpful.

One of the beating hearts of this novel is the parenting of smal children. I am blessed to have a close-knit circle of friends on Nantucket who are rearing young families right alongside of me. My friend Debbie cal s it “the vil age.” My friend Liz cal s it “the squad.” So thank you to said vil age/squad for your support and your friendship: Amanda and Richard Congdon, Elizabeth and Beau Almodobar, Rebecca and John Bartlett, Debbie and Jamey Bennett, Leslie and Tom Bresette, Betty and Rhett Dupont, Renee and Joe Gamberoni, Anne and Whitney Gifford, Sal y and Brooks Hal , Wendy and Randy Hudson, Wendy Rouil ard and Il ya Kagan, and Marty and Hol y McGowan.

I could not have written a word of this novel without the steadfast kindness and rock-solid care that our au pair, Suphawan “Za” Intafa, provided to my three children. Thank you, Za. You wil never know how much I appreciate your help.

Thank you, Dan Bowling, for giving Nantucket a shot in the summer of 2004. I exonerate you from al comparisons to Josh Flynn, except that you wil always be a favorite with my boys.

As for Chip, Max, Dawson, and Shelby Cunningham, my family: When I wake up each morning, I marvel at how lucky I am. Everything, always, is for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elin Hilderbrand has lived on Nantucket for fourteen years. She has written about the island in Barefoot and her five previous novels not only because it is her home but also because it provides a rich ecological and historical background for her characters. Hilderbrand is married to hotel manager Chip Cunningham, and they have three young children. Ms. Hilderbrand is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa. She grew up in Col egevil e, Pennsylvania, but has traveled extensively on six continents. Her dream is to someday spend her winters in Fremantle, Australia.

Contents

PART ONE JUNE

PART TWO JULY

PART THREE AUGUST

EPILOGUE WINTER

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Table of Contents

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR