The Pact

Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 495
First Published: 1998
First Line: "There was nothing left to say."

Synopsis: The Gold and the Harte families have been inseparable since their oldest children were born 3 months apart. Emily and Chris have been best friends and practically raised as siblings since birth. Both sets of parents were thrilled when they learned that their kids had taken their relationship to a more romantic level in their early teens.

Suddenly, one November morning both families are shocked to learn that 17 year old Emily is dead ... shot with a gun that Chris had sneaked out of his father's gun cabinet. When both families learn of their children's suicide pact they are utterly shocked. They are thrown in even more turmoil when Chris is charged with Emily's murder.

This book is about the struggle of both families in the aftermath of such unspeakable violence that they never saw coming. Like many of Picoult's books this one focuses on several hot topics which include teen love, depression and teen suicide.

My Thoughts: This is my second book by Picoult (the first being "Salem Falls" which I enjoyed as much as this book). Picoult definitely has a knack for jumping into highly controversial topics with vigour.

I find her a talented writer who can write a suspenseful read and is able to keep the reader interested with very little information as to what really happened to cause the suspenseful issue. What I mean is ... she tells you what happened (ie Emily's death) but then slowly gives the reader options that niggle in the back of their mind until she slowly lets the reader know what really occurred -- which, in my book, makes for a good read. I like not getting all of the facts right off the bat and how she can twist the storyline here and there to keep the reader interested.

That said, I liked this book but didn't love it. I honestly think it's because this book was supposedly deemed a love story but I found the relationship between Emily and Chris more twisted and odd than romantic. Their relationship seemed forced and fake and just didn't seem real to me.

My Rating: 4/5 stars