In the summer of 2001 a small group of friends have to confront the recent death of their free-spirited close friend James Rider-the heart and soul of the group-who abruptly took his own life at the age of 28.

How do you remember someone who takes his own life? That's the question a small group of friends have to confront after the recent death of their free-spirited close friend, James Rider-the heart and soul of the group-who abruptly took his own life at the age of 28. Can they just think fondly about all the things that made James worth remembering, or will the stain of suicide forever overshadow his legacy? Set in the summer of 2001, The Suicide of James Rider, follows the coming-of-age journey of Richie Russo, the newest member of this circle of friends. Despite having never met James himself, Richie gets to know him in a real and intimate way through all the wild, hilarious, and poignant stories told by the friends James left behind. Soon, Richie's idea of what it means to be alive is slowly transformed-ironically, by someone he will never actually meet in life.