Summary

In late May 2013, David's youngest sister Tiffany committed suicide. After her death, David feels as though he has lost a part of his identity as one of six siblings. Tiffany did not have much but decreed in her will that her family "could not have her body or attend her memorial service" (16). David's sister Amy takes the responsibility of collecting two boxes of Tiffany's belongings from her home.

Before Tiffany's suicide, David had made plans for the family to gather for a beach holiday on Emerald Isle, North Carolina, where they used to vacation every summer before their mother died. Tiffany's obituary ran in the paper the day before the family arrived at the beach and people were leaving messages of condolence on the paper's website, which was fascinating to the Sedarises, as they did not really know their departed sister...