The Pact

It seems I've started a pattern of reading a new book or two, then going back to a re-read. This re-read was Jodi Picoult's The Pact. It was the first book I read of hers, and it was the book that got me hooked on her as an author. I gobbled up her books in quick succession when I start to read her, I think two years ago. Regardless, I came back to this book and I have a distinct feeling that I will go through the rest of her books before starting anything new. Not that it's a complaint.

The Pact chronicles the lives of the Hartes and the Golds, and their children. Emily Gold, and Chris Harte, grow up together in a small town in New Hampshire. They are so close they seem like family, and eventually become lovers. Suddenly, Emily is found dead and Chris is at the scene. What first seems like an interupted suicide pact between teenagers quickly becomes something more, as you're taken through the drama of Chris's murder trial.

As I said before, this is a book that prompted a quick and obsessive love for a particular author. Picoult's chapters are short, which I personally love in a novel, and her characters are deep and intense. Even though I had read it before, I could not recall all the minute twists and turns and character details, and the twist at the end was as fresh to me as when I had first read it. This book takes place in a locale she uses often, and introduces us to a character who shows up in a few more of her novels, lawyer Jordan McAfee and his family.

This book is rich in detail and while it jumps through time, you never feel like you're lost in memories. Emily is as real a character as Chris, even though she is dead by the first page. Her story, and their love, become so real to you that you are sure you knew them.

I give this book a 4 out of 5. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating was because I am often weary of court books written by someone who has no court experience. Picoult has done a mountain's worth of research, however, and the scenes are all believable, regardless of my trepidation.