I unwrapped the bandages without looking down. I saw nothing but the sparkle of the skyline and the silhouette of my reflection in the darkened glass, and in that moment, it truly didn’t matter if my flesh and my bone never returned; the treasures of life could still be salvaged if I was brave enough to look.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When you see “Acknowledgments,” a little voice tells you, Great, I can skip this part! I hope you don’t. Yes, the names here are responsible for the book in your hands, but they are also responsible for shaping the author behind it.
I’m deeply grateful for my amazing and beautiful wife, Krissy, who always encourages me to follow my imagination, no matter where it leads. Your love continues to humble and inspire me. When you smiled at me those many years ago, you truly made my heart grow back. I’m equally grateful for Noelle, our daughter, who has brought even more magic and love into my life than I ever thought possible.
A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who supported my book when it was originally published with Blank Slate Press, which also deserves a huge thank-you for taking a chance on me when my novel was nothing but a handful of magic beans.
Thank you to Kirby Kim, Peter Horoszko, and Picador for helping me evolve this story and bring it into the world. Rachelle Mandik is the Sherlock Holmes of copy editors, and her contributions were invaluable. A simple thank-you is not enough for the patience and hard work they put into this book.
Special thanks to Dan Loflin, who spent countless hours with me exploring the dark corners of the novel’s universe.
I’d like to give virtual “huggies” to Vikki Cleveland, our beloved “Miss C,” who fed my writing bug until I could never imagine doing anything else. Thank you to Michael Nye, mentor, teacher, friend, writer, allegedly decent jump-shooter. I’m also grateful for perhaps my most important teacher, my grandmother, who taught me how to read and let me borrow her Stephen King books when I was far, far too young.
A round of shout-outs to my writing workshop peers who always called “bullshit” when I needed it most: Deb, Sarah, Erik.
The cold and violent small towns depicted in this book are fictional. I grew up in a small town, Patoka, and you won’t find a place with more warmth, heart, and kindness.
Finally, this is a book that is in many ways about friendship, and I could never imagine listing all of my beloved friends and running the risk of omission … but that’s just the price of doing business. Bucky—who would we be if not for each other? Spud—how the hell are we still alive? Shaun, Kevin, Preston, Podergois, Portz—you can’t play defense behind the fence. Shane, Joe, and the staff at Carlyle Lake—thank you for the advice and memories. Malone—I still haven’t found that poem. Selle—an expert at assembly. Ahart—my medical ace in the hole. Voss and DeBro—always prodding my imagination. Renny, Ballard, Novak, Brad, Yoder, Evans, Conant—I love you guys.
Tom Pigg, to whom this book is dedicated, was a close friend who died in 2009, the same year I started working on this novel. Tom, I speak for everyone who knew you when I say you are loved, you are missed, you are never forgotten.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FRED VENTURINI’s short fiction has been published in The Booked. Anthology, Noir at the Bar, Vol. 2, and Surreal South ’13. In 2014, his story “Gasoline” will be featured in Chuck Palahniuk’s Burnt Tongues collection. He lives in Southern Illinois with his wife and daughter.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK. Copyright © 2011, 2014 by Fred Venturini. All rights reserved. For information, address Picador, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
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Anatomical illustrations courtesy of the Florida Center for Instructional Technology
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the Picador print edition as follows:
Venturini, Fred.
The heart does not grow back: a novel / Fred Venturini. — First Picador edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-250-05221-6 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-05222-3 (e-book)
1. Life change events—Fiction. 2. Regeneration (Biology)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3622.E63H43 2014
813'.6—dc23
2014015670
e-ISBN 9781250052223
First published under the title The Samaritan
First Picador eBook Edition: November 2014
The Heart Does Not Grow Back Page 26