The Pact written by Jodi Picoult is a very intriguing and heartfelt novel about two teenagers, in love, torn about by death. Chris and Emily have been best friends since the day they were born, growing up living nest door to each other, playing everyday, and every chance they could. They began grounding founder and founder of each other, and began dating during their high school years. They were inseparable, always knowing exactly what the other person was feeling or thinking. They could finish each others sentences; if one felt pain, so did the other. It was almost like they were one person. Until one night when their parent's got a tragic phone call saying that there had been an accident. When Emily's parents got to the hospital, they were informed that she had died upon arriving to the hospital. And Chris was in another room when minor injuries. The detective that arrived at the scene of the crime continued to investigate what went on that night, and pressed charges against Chris, first degree murder. He ended up getting arrested and was held in jail until his trial date. Throughout the novel you learn more and more about what happened before the night Emily was killed through flashbacks from both Chris and Emily's perspective.
Picoult writes about so many topics that so many different people can relate to, such as suicide, depression, love, abuse, divorce, etc. I think in reading this novel, many young teens can relate to feeling really close to another, and going show more through the same emotions as Emily and Chris were feeling. I'm sure there are many kids who had depression, and have thoughts of suicide, like Emily, but don't know what to do; they feel stuck, like Emily. As much as it seems like Chris and Emily's relationship is a fairytale, and too good to be true, I'm sure there are many couples out there that feel the exact same way that Chris and Emily feel about each other; and that is why I feel like Picoult's books are so easy to relate to. Her books also have an unwritten message, if you read between the lines. I believe there is a lesson to be learned in reading this novel, that no matter how "stuck" you may feel, there will always be someone there that you can talk to, and no matter how much you feel alone, there is always someone who cares enough about you to save you.
I would highly recommend this novel, it is a very "true" love story, and true love is hard to come by these days. The Pact also has a Romeo and Juliet twist to it. As wonderful as this book is, it can be sad in ways, because it makes you want a relationship like Chris and Emily's more than any other type of relationship. But in ways it sets your standard's higher for someone you would potentially want to be with. This novel can touch your heart in so many ways, everyone will enjoy it. show less