There are very few authors I absolutely adore and are auto buys for me (Ann Vremont, Eva Gale, Cindy Cruciger, Dakota Cassidy, Richard Preston, Tess Gerritson, Kristin Hannah - just to name a few). I have now added Jodi Picoult.
Every single book I have read of Jodi Picoult's I have loved. The subjects she writes about are real and pertain to what is going on in the world today. She especially likes controversial topics and she takes those topics and spins a story so well that we get inside each character. She puts a face and heart to each of her characters and so much so that one forgets that this story is fiction. Her research is brilliant. I have a hard time putting one of her books down even to eat.
The Pact was no different. I spent the entire afternoon reading this book, using the excuse my foot hurt so I could stay in bed and read. The excuse worked and I got to read this book in one sitting.
The story is about two teens - Emily Gold and Chris Harte who grew up together and were inseparable. At first we are led to believe that there is a suicide pact between the two; however, Chris survives, Emily dies and the aftermath devastates two families who have been so much a part of each other's lives that they became 'family' for the past 18 years. The book is the story of what happened which, of course, we don't find out until the very end of the story, and in true Picoult tradition, that is the twist. It is a story about teenage suicide, but also sub-stories of sex abuse, issues of teenage sex, depression and family relationships. It is a story that makes you realize that although you can live with someone and be close to them, you will never really know 'all of them'. There are parts of ourselves we keep to ourself and at times, do not even allow us to acknowledge that part of us.
I love the way in which Picoult tells her stories - in flashbacks - so we understand the message she imparts for each character. Every single story also has a legal portion to it and to date, each story I have read of hers, shows how unfair our justice system can be. I also like that she uses the same lawyer and his wife in every story - it's like continuity. In this book, Chris is accused of the murder of Emily and sits in jail for almost a year waiting for his trial to begin. You realize that Picoult is right, that no matter the verdict, his life will never be the same.
I read some of the reviews on this book and there was one comment that really got me:
p.s. I'm starting to think that their last names were Harte and Gold because each and every character had a heart of gold (except, maybe Melanie, but that's just because she was kind of a jerk to Gus)
Be warned - this book stays with you long after you put it down just as every single book of Picoult's does to me, and just like every single one of the author's I listed above do to me. They reinforce to me that I am a reader, not a writer.
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