Greenlight

by Benjamin Stevenson

Nailbiter.

  A novel is a product of many hands. It’s a lot like the jigsaw puzzle my mum pulls out over Christmas, where visitors flit past and insert pieces over the holiday season. I have many contributors to thank for the finished product.

  Thank you to Kimberley Atkins, my publisher, who saw the pile of pieces for the picture they would make from the very start. Kim, thank you for taking a risk on me and letting me take risks in return. My editor, Amanda Martin, the dedicated puzzle-solver who strikes up camp at the table, thank you for sorting every piece into matching piles and making it easier for the rest of us. I appreciate your compassion and patience in the face of authorial stubbornness and an army of errant tabs. Ali Arnold, a fiercely observant and talented copy-editor, for matching up the sky-blues with slightly different sky-blues. Sarah Fletcher, who proofread the novel, thank you for testing each piece in all four directions to make sure it fit properly. I’m very fortunate to have a second brilliant publisher work on this book, so my thanks also to Beverley Cousins for her assistance in slotting in those final pieces. The finished product looks amazing, and that is thanks to Alex Ross and Midland Typesetters. My editors will surely say this jigsaw metaphor has worn thin, so I’d also like to thank Emily Cook, my publicist, for passionately getting this book into readers’ hands. Nerrilee Weir, thank you for your efforts in having this book reach new readers internationally, and to Laura Bentley, thank you for finding it a home in audio. To all at Penguin Random House Australia, thank you.

  Of the many people who visited the house and filled in a piece, I would also like to thank Karen Yates and Liz Alexander for bringing to life the audiobook through Audible Australia. Mary Rennie, thank you for the support and energy in the building blocks of this story. I am grateful I landed at your desk on my first day as a nervous intern at HarperCollins; you were invaluable in kickstarting my career.

  An unquantifiable thanks to my kick-arse agent Grace Heifetz. Grace, your enthusiasm is impervious. Thank you for all you’ve done. You have really gone above and beyond on this novel. To all staff at Curtis Brown, thank you for welcoming me into the Curtis Brown fold.

  I can’t look past the support and positivity from my family – Peter, Judy, Emily and James. A thank you to my early readers: my brother, James Stevenson, and fellow writers Helen Scheuerer and Tom Gibson. My particular gratitude to Aleesha Paz, a fantastic editor. Her opinions have made this a better book, and me a better person. And all pro bono, lucky me.

  About the Author

  Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning stand-up comedian and author. He has sold out shows from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has appeared on ABCTV, Channel 10, and The Comedy Channel. Off-stage, Benjamin has worked for publishing houses and literary agencies in Australia and the USA. He currently works with some of Australia’s best-loved authors at Curtis Brown Australia. Greenlight is his first novel.

  MICHAEL JOSEPH

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  First published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, 2019

  Text copyright © Benjamin Stevenson, 2019

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  Extract is from Letter from Flannery O’Connor to Betty Hester, dated September 6, 1955 from THE LETTERS OF FLANNERY O’CONNOR: THE HABIT OF BEING by Flannery O’Connor reprinted by permission of Peters Fraser & Dunlop (www.petersfraserdunlop.com) on behalf of the Estate of Flannery O’Connor.

  Cover design by Alex Ross © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Cover photographs: mythja/Getty Images; xpixel/Shutterstock; ilolab/Shutterstock

  penguin.com.au

  ISBN 978-0-143-78988-8