Summary

Chapter 5 begins 747 days after Jessie’s mom’s death with Jessie recalling the first time she stepped into her new home in Los Angeles. She felt ill at ease, as though everything were too expensive and impersonal. She also remembers her old home in Chicago and consequently the period after her mother died, when she had to take on the day to day duties around the house when she realized her father did not know how.

Jessie also remembers the first time she heard the news about moving to Los Angeles. Her father Bill met Rachel in an online bereavement support group, and under the guise of a business trip had eloped to Hawaii and gotten married. Afterwards, he informed Jessie they would be moving to Los Angeles. One night Rachel, Jessie, Bill, and Theo gather for dinner when Rachel announces that Bill...