Summary

Part 2, Chapter 9 – There is a beautiful bird sanctuary at the edge of Montrose Harbor in northern Chicago, beside which Kevin used to work as a lifeguard in the summer. The family came to refer to the place as Kevin’s beach. He looked young and healthy at that time. But, that was before he became addicted to drugs.

Now, after learning about Kevin's death, Maggie and Laura have made the seven-hour flight back to Chicago from Bray, being able to afford only two plane tickets. Maggie learns that Kevin had gone out the night before with friends. He returned home later after visiting the bird sanctuary. He had died in his sleep because his heart simply stopped beating.

Maggie goes into her Uncle Kevin’s room, which smells of cigarettes. It is filled with stacks of books that were recommended to...