Her Fearful Symmetry

by Audrey Niffenegger

  Thank you to Dan Franklin for wise editing and sideways thinking, and for correcting my Americanisms (French windows; who knew?). Love and thanks to Rachel Cugnoni, Suzanne Dean, Chloe Johnson-Hill, Alex Bowler, Liz Foley, Roger Bratchell and Jason Arthur of Random House UK; thank you to Marion Garner and Louise Dennys of Random House Canada. And Dank und Liebe to Hans Jurgen Balmes, Isabel Kupski and Brigitte Jakobeit of S. Fischer Verlag.

  Thank you to Nan Graham, for her incisive editing and lightness of touch; I look forward with pleasure to our future collaborations. Thank you, Susan Moldow, Paul Whitlatch, Rex Bonomelli and Katie Monaghan of Scribner.

  I am grateful to the Ragdale Foundation and the Corporation of Yaddo for residencies that gave me time and space to work, and to the British Library for research assistance. Thanks also to the Highgate Scientific and Literary Institution for a productive afternoon in their library.

  Thanks and love to Lisa Ann Gurr, Ethan Lavan, and the little Gurr Lavans Jonathan and Natalia for their delightful hospitality. Special thanks to Lisa Ann Gurr for permission to use her story of the ghosts of the trees, and also for letting me borrow the Little Kitten of Death. (Sorry I had to kill her.)

  Much love and thanks to Hayley Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Antonia Rose Logue, and to David Drew for all the wonderful afternoons at the ballet.

  Many thanks to Noah D. Frederick for his Latin translation and his help in translation-related matters. Thanks also to Ana Rita Pires for her Portuguese translation of Martin and Marijke's fantasy taxi ride. Thank you to Daniel Mellis for his help in arranging that.

  Love and special thanks to Bert Menco for his help with the Dutch language and all things Nederlandish.

  Thanks to John Padour for his indispensable drawing of the layout of the flats in my imaginary Vautravers, which saved me from many gaffes. Thanks to Janet Lefley for the long days of writing and chatting at Kopi's; thanks to Jesse Thomas, Mary Drabik, Catalina Simon, Jesus Mendes and Jesus Reyes for all that Russian tea and sympathy.

  Thank you for inspiration, advice, research assistance and/or reading the manuscript: Lyn Rosen, William Frederick, Jonelle Niffenegger, Riva Lehrer, Bert Menco, Danea Rush, Benjamin Chandler, Robert Vladova, and Christopher Schneberger. Thanks to Patricia Niffenegger for help with sewing enquiries, and to Beth Niffenegger and Lawrence Niffenegger for their support.

  Thank you to Sharon Britten-Dittmer for her friendship and for keeping chaos at bay.

  And thank you to April Sheridan for her quiet strength and good sense, for her astonishing writing and art, and for helping me to make my art.

  This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's and publisher's rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Version 1.0

  Epub ISBN 9781409076919

  www.randomhouse.co.uk

  Published by Jonathan Cape 2009

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  Copyright (c) Audrey Niffenegger 2009

  Audrey Niffenegger has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  SHE SAID, SHE SAID

  (c) 1966 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing

  LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

  First published in Great Britain in 2009 by

  Jonathan Cape

  Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 9780224085618 (Hardback)

  ISBN 9780224085625 (Trade paperback)

  ISBN 9780224089852 (Waterstone's Limited Edition)