The Rest of the Story

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen follows Emma Saylor, a teenage girl who is sent to spend the summer with her late mother's family at North Lake, a place she hasn't visited since childhood. Emma's mother had often told her stories about the lake's beauty and magic, but Emma only remembers bits and pieces of her mother's past. As she arrives at North Lake, Emma is struck by the division between the working-class community of North Lake, where her mother grew up, and the wealthier Lake North resort, where her father spent summers. This division also reflects Emma's inner struggle as she grapples with her identity. To her father, she is Emma, but to her mother's family, she is Saylor, the name her mother called her. As Emma reconnects with Roo, a childhood friend, she learns more about her mother's history, and Roo helps her uncover hidden truths about her family. As she immerses herself in the magic of North Lake, Emma begins to discover who she truly is, torn between the person her father sees her as and the person she feels herself becoming. Ultimately, Emma must choose which side of herself, Emma or Saylor, will define her future.