The Pact - Book Review

The Pact - Book Review

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Posted 2013-01-03 by Chrystal Byrnefollow
'The truth' is never as simple a concept as it may seem.

The truth to Michael and Melanie Gold was that their daughter wasn't suicidal. The truth to Augusta Harte was that her son was innocent. The truth to Christopher Harte was that the love of his life was dead. The truth to Jordan McAfee did not matter.

For 18 years the Hartes and the Golds have lived side by side. With their parents being the best of friends it was only normal that Emily and Chris would be too, and everyone was so happy when their childhood friendship naturally developed into something more. Emily Gold knew Chris Harte for her entire life – all 17 years of it. Now, Emily is dead and buried, Chris is in jail awaiting trial for murder and the two families, the Hartes and the Golds, who raised children together, dined together, holidayed together and gossiped together can't think of anything worse than being near one another.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult was first published in Australia and New Zealand in 1999 by Allen and Unwin . The Pact is Picoult's fifth novel and has been followed by other popular works such as: Salem Falls (2001), My Sister's Keeper (2004), Nineteen Minutes (2007) and Change of Heart (2008). In 2009, My Sister's Keeper was released as a film starring Cameron Diaz , Abigail Breslin , Sofia Vassilieva and Alec Baldwin . The Pact is about a possible suicide pact between two teenage lovers and in 2002, Lifetime Television debuted a film adaptation of the novel to good reviews.


The Pact raises a number of questions throughout its pages, questions that aren't necessarily meant to be answered but pondered on by each individual reader. How well do we ever really know our children? Is it ever okay to help someone die? How far are you willing to go for your love? How close is too close? What is 'the truth'? These questions are constantly played upon in this story and are constantly on the reader's mind.


This story had me right from the beginning. It was intense, raw, emotive, disturbing, visual and more. I could almost feel the characters; feel what they were feeling and it hurt. The Pact shows the aftermath of unexpected death in an acute and unforgiving manner but the characters are more loved and believed for it. I would seriously recommend this book, it is a brilliant read.



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90673 - 2023-06-11 08:26:19

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