The Pact by Jodi Picoult (The Pact - Jodi Picoult)

Member Name: sandraaa_xo

Product:	The Pact - Jodi Picoult
Date:	20/04/09 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Original and well researched.

Disadvantages: -

Without a doubt Jodi Picoult is one of the best authors there because her story lines are unique and will cause you question things in life that may have never even occurred to you. Best known for her courtroom drama Jodi Picoult creates an intense and moving novel in The Pact.

I first read this book when I was 13 and I have to say I was young and scared by this book because it honestly was heartbreaking. I hated the ending because at 13 every was black and white, you were guilty or innocent and if you were guilty you should be punished. Perhaps a year later I picked up this book and read it again and was deeply moved and once again shocked by this book.

The Pact tells the story of two families who live next door to each other, within the two families there is Chris Harte and Emily Gold, they grew up together and to no one's surprise a friendship begins to blossom into love. However when they hit 17 Emily is found shot and Chris is accused of murdering her. This you already know from the beginning and this is what starts a rollercoaster of memories and emotions the two felt in their life time. It shows their ups and joys from when they are growing up and shows that although the familes were really close they never really knew everything about their children.

The underlying message in this book here is do parents ever really know their children? We see Emily Gold's life from her eyes and we realise she isn't what she seems to be and yet no one ever realised that. She was keeping so much from the world and she felt nothing could save her. I identified with Emily on so many levels and as a teenage girl I do feel that we hide things that maybe we're ashmed of from our parents so they never really feel the pain we go through. Nevertheless Picoult as always makes us question whether Emily was in the wrong, or was it Chris or was it her parents? There isn't really a blame game here but we are always as the reader questioning if certain people really had to make that choice. Although the story isn't really focused on one character we are always focused on Emily because she is dead and it is because of this the familes are torn apart. I feel if I was a parent this book would really force me to question how I functioned as a parent. The actions of the parents stunned me when I first read it but on my second reading I realised the hurt and anguish that ran through both families, one has lost a daughter while the son accused of murdering her daughter lives, obviously there is blatent anger. What shocks me is the strong belief Emily's mum had that Chris was capable of murder, it really does show you never really know people.

The story ends with the verdict of the case and leaves you wondering whether the right decision was made. Now that I see things in a different light I feel the decision that was made was right. However we have to question whether socitey can really afford to come to such verdicts when clearly someone is guilty. Either way excellent courtroom drama was displayed in this as of course this is what Picoult is known for. For my first Picoult novel I found this outstanding and Picoult does her research which I think makes her writing all the more believable and exciting to read. This book encouraged me to read several more of her books because of the issues raised in it and trust me I haven't been dissappointed in any of her stories yet!

Summary: Raises exciting issues.