The Summer of Our Suicides Summary and Analysis

In "Summer of Our Suicides," Goolrick discusses his suicidal tendencies and his cutting behaviors. On his thirty-fourth birthday, Goolrick had decided that he would commit suicide in a year, if his life did not improve. On the night of his thirty fifth birthday, he slit his wrists, recognizing the clarity that comes with bleeding to death. He had written notes to loved ones, including a note to a bookie friend who had loaned him money. The bookie, too, had attempted suicide earlier in the year. He had gone to a hotel room, turned up the air conditioning, and slit his wrists to the point of severing nerves, and when that wasn't enough, he slit his throat. He did not die, however, and when he was discovered, he was hospitalized in a mental institution...