The Pact

The second book I finished yesterday was The Pact by Jodi Picoult, a seemingly favorite author since she has the most favorite books from the RAs, six on my list!  Like most of Picoult’s stories, she begins with a brief “end moment” and then she fills in the details.  Picoult’s books remind me of a lengthy “Lifetime” channel movie of the week.  I have no doubt her books become movies of the week on Lifetime. The Golds and the Hartes are next door neighbors for eighteen years.  Their families share everything… meals, vacations, and children who are best friends.  Emily and Chris grew up being born three months apart from each other and eventually become romantically involved.  During their senior year, as the college application process looms large, an “event” occurs, which will change forever the two family’s bond to each other.     A phone call comes in late to both families.  The call from the police asks both sets of parents to come to the hospital immediately there has been an “accident.”  When the parents arrive, they learn that one child is dead, the other appears to be critically injured.  Once the “dust settles” we learn that Emily is dead by a gunshot to the head, and Chris is fine with 70 stitches to the head.  What happened?  Initially it appears as a suicide pact between two teenage lovers, but the district attorney thinks otherwise.  Chris is charged with homicide and the rest of the story captures the months leading up to the trial, Chris being in jail, and the demise of the relationship between the Hartes and the Golds. Chris himself doesn’t know whether he actually pulled the trigger or not and finally it is the turn of the jury to make their decision on Chris’ fate. With most of Picoult’s books the reader is never really sure what will happen.  I won’t reveal the ending to this “mystery” story.  I will say, while the story is riveting and one really never knows what will end up happening in Picoult’s books, I really felt the story itself was quite disturbing.  Hard to be completely comfortable with a teenage suicide past.  There were some strange character behaviors that didn’t seem consistent, nor did I really like a few of the parents.  The psychological churnings of the main character of Chris was believable but a hard sell for me to really endorse this one from Picoult.  Maybe her seventh book that the RAs suggest might be a winner for me.