The Rest of the Story Summary
Sarah Dessen

The Rest of the Story Overview

The Rest of the Story is a coming-of-age novel by Sarah Dessen, written for young adults. The narrative chronicles the journey of Emma Saylor Payne, a 17-year-old girl who struggles with her identity and her relationship to her parents. Her mother was a drug addict who died of an overdose when Emma was ten years old. Seven years later, Emma has still not fully grieved her mother's death. During the course of the narrative, Emma finds her identity by realizing that she embodies good points from both her father’s and her mother’s sides of the family. She learns the true meaning of being a member of a family, and she discovers how to properly grieve for her mother’s death. The novel explores themes of grief, identity, love, social class, and family.