"Hmm."

"I see it as a meditation on faith. What are we looking for in G.o.d? What does G.o.d represent? What are the things that humans need to feel fulfilled and happy? And what are they willing to do to get those things? I was thinking of calling it 'The Answer to Everything.'"

The editor laughed. "Well," she said, "with a t.i.tle like that, you'll be obligated to figure it out. Your readers will expect you to know what it is. The answer. To everything."

I nodded, trying to process that. Then she told me that she'd prefer a non-fiction account (more marketable, etc.), but since I seemed pa.s.sionate about the idea, she'd be happy to read it when I had a draft. She sailed out then. And I headed home.

For the next seventeen hours I barely budged from my computer, surfing everything from Aristotle to Krishnamurti to Martin Seligman to Epictetus. Philosophical treatises, psychological studies, poems, quotations, bible excerpts, TED Talks, etc. It was exhausting. Confusing. By the time the sun showed up, I had mega screen-head and felt giddy and stupid and no closer to my goal.

On a whim I emailed Eldrich. I said: If I send one more question-my last, I swear-will you take the time to answer honestly and seriously (i.e., no pictures of polar bears on ice floes, no links to Blind Melon tunes)? A few minutes later he responded (normally): Yes. I promise. Send me your question.

So I did.

And barely ten seconds later he sent a response. No words. Just one emoticon.

I guess I should have known.

Re: THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.

Eldrich Becker.

To: Griffin Hill.

Acknowledgements.

Thank you to the following fine people: Patrick Crean-my very wise and perceptive editor; Jackie Kaiser-my wonderful agent; Barbara Gowdy; Gil Adamson; Melanie Little; Lynn Crosbie; Iris Tupholme, Maria Golikova, Kelsey Marshall, Alan Jones, Joanna Ebejer, Emma Ingram and everyone at HarperCollins Canada; Kevin Connolly; Jason McBride; San Grewal; Hugh Graham; Kathleen Scheibling; Matthew Friedberg; Richard Kramer; Fern Sager; Betsy Aziz; Holly Kent; Ingrid Paulson; Judy Phillips; Chandra Wohleber; Stuart Ross; Denis De Klerck; Michael Winter; Alan Zunder; Ariadny Fragos; George Gooderham; Leah Simson; Robyn Friedman; Randall Cole and Max Friedman-Cole.

I am truly grateful for the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Eldrich's entry on page 268 is an excerpt from the poem "The Tables Turned," by William Wordsworth.

Eldrich's quote on page 255 is from Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

John's photo-dissolving artwork was inspired by a piece I saw in a small gallery back in the 1990s (either in Montreal or Toronto). Alas, I didn't take note of who made the thing, but I never forgot the brilliant installation. So thank you to the mystery genius artist.

About the Author.

ELYSE FRIEDMAN is the author of Long Story Short, a novella and stories; the novels Then Again and Waking Beauty; and the poetry collection Know Your Monkey. Her work has been shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award, the Toronto Book Award and the ReLit Award, and has won a gold National Magazine Award for fiction. She lives in Toronto.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.

"Elyse Friedman has always been a daringly inventive and hilarious writer. With The Answer to Everything, she proves herself to be a first-rate storyteller in the bargain. Not even five pages into the novel I found myself ensnared by her disarming characters and their poignantly misguided yearnings. By the last page I was convinced that Friedman is a fictional force unto herself. Certainly, she is like no other writer I can think of."

BARBARA GOWDY, author of Helpless and The White Bone.

"This book seized me by the throat: the attack ended when I read the last page. I say this with joy. Friedman is one of a very small group of addictively readable, lyrical, fiercely intelligent and funny writers."

LYNN CROSBIE, author of Life Is About Losing Everything.

"The Answer to Everything is compelling proof that Elyse Friedman is one of Canada's best and most crucial writers. Both cynical and searching, it's a hilarious yet deeply moving portrait of an upstart cult gone wrong-it drew me in from page one but never let me settle, continually surprising me and challenging my take on things. It puts its players through the same paces, and the result is a cast of some of the most memorable characters I've met in a long time. It feels urgently timely, too-a book that I'll be recommending far and wide."

MELANIE LITTLE, author of Confidence.

"A compelling, modern tragicomic novel that, like all of Friedman's work, betrays a deep empathy while it delights in human foibles. What's most striking is how real it all feels-step into this story and you're caught."

GIL ADAMSON, author of The Outlander.

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