Hurt (37 page)

And then he hears voices calling his name: George and Kirsty, suggesting a game of Frisbee. And so he takes a deep breath, wipes his eyes, raises an arm to signal he is coming and jogs back away from the river to join his friends.

Writing this novel was no easy task and would never have been accomplished without the help and encouragement of some very special people. I would like to thank my extremely patient and talented editor, Ruth Knowles, for her expertise and belief in my writing. Annie Eaton pushed for the book’s creation and always trusted I would get there, even when I doubted it myself. I am profoundly grateful to them and the whole team at Random House for their hard work and boundless faith in mine.

Via a competition, three young adults ended up contributing to the creation of the book’s cover. Brigid Gorry-Hines came up with brilliant design; Bartosz Madej took the evocative photograph; Wojciech Kisek brought Mathéo to life. I cannot thank them enough for their talent and creativity.

The support of those closest to me has been invaluable. My sisters, Thalia Suzuma and Tansy Roekaerts, offered me encouragement and feedback. My brother, Tadashi Suzuma, shared travel anecdotes which often found their way into the story. My little brother, Shin Suzuma (aka Tiggy), inspired me with his breath-taking concerts on his path to becoming a concert pianist and even provided a live soundtrack to write to. I couldn’t be more proud of him. I am also extremely grateful to my godson, George Manchester, who has always been like a son to me. He is the light of my life and keeps me going through even the darkest times.

Finally, none of my books would have existed without the help of the two most supportive people in my life. Akiko Hart is more than my best friend; she is also my soul mate, my advisor, my confidante and, undoubtedly, the person who knows and understands me better than anyone. Not only has she been there for me during my hours of need, but she supports me and encourages me throughout each of my books. She is the one person I can always turn to when I am stuck, she supports me through the disappointments and is as thrilled by my successes as if they were her own . . . The other rock in my life is my mother, Elizabeth Suzuma, who painstakingly proofs every word, often staying up through the night to do so. I am so grateful to her, even though I’m not always very good at showing it. She is, without doubt, the unsung hero behind every one of my books.

Hurt
is
Tabitha Suzuma
’s sixth novel for young adults. Her debut novel,
A Note of Madness
, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, and since then her novels have won and been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Young Minds Book Award, the Carnegie Medal and the Waterstone’s Book Prize.
Forbidden
, Tabitha’s controversial 2010 novel, won the Premio Speciale Cariparma for European Literature.

Tabitha has always loved writing and would regularly get into trouble at the French Lycée for writing stories instead of listening in class. She used to work as a primary school teacher and now divides her time between writing and tutoring.

You can visit Tabitha at:
www.tabithasuzuma.com

@TabithaSuzuma

facebook.com/tabitha.suzuma

Also by Tabitha Suzuma:

A Note of Madness
From Where I Stand
Without Looking Back
A Voice in the Distance
Forbidden

HURT
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 446 45213 4

Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company

This ebook edition published 2013

Copyright © Tabitha Suzuma, 2013

First Published in Great Britain

The Bodley Head 978 1 782 30020 5 2013

The right of Tabitha Suzuma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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