The Pact by Jodi Picoult

 

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with a parent deciding a certain book is not right for her child. There is a colossal problem with a parent deciding that, therefore, no child should be allowed to read that book."

        -Jodi Picoult

I have read several of Jodi Picoult's novels and I hadn't realized how many involved struggling teen characters until I read the author's thoughts at the end of The Pact. Through her fiction, Picoult has addressed controversial subjects like abortion, sexual abuse, school shootings, transgenderism, and teen suicide, as in The Pact.  Sadly, many of her novels are being banned in some school districts, leading to the quote above.

In The Pact high school students Chris Harte and Emily Gold had been close since infancy, their families were good friends and neighbors. As children they played together, went to school together, took family vacations together and were practically "joined at the hip." As teenagers, they became romantically involved. 

When Emily was in her darkest place, she was determined to commit suicide and coerced Chris into helping her. Emily ended up dead and Chris was charged with murder. The dynamics of the family members' reactions to this horrible situation were intriguing and Chris's trial made the book a page-turner.

Well-written and thoroughly researched, as are all of Picoult's novels, this one was not pleasant to read. Because of that, I rated it a 4. Although The Pact has been banned in some places, I feel it could be a very important and helpful book for high school students to read and discuss.