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Lain's Reviews > The Pact
The Pact
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After you've read a few Jodi Picoult books, you come to expect certain things. A compelling, flashpoint topic (teen suicide, stigmata, school shootings, sexual abuse, etc.) that rips a small New England community apart. Courtroom drama. Finely wrought family dynamics. A maverick lawyer, a quirky judge, and a lot of angst. Tons of plot twists and turns.
All of the above were present in "The Pact," a story of the death of a teenage golden girl, with her longtime boyfriend accused of the murder -- which he claims was a double suicide gone awry. The defendant bobs and weaves as news of Emily's pregnancy comes to light, and plenty of red herrings are thrown into the mix. But still something was missing.
I felt like there just wasn't quite ENOUGH drama in this book... I expected one more horrifying secret to be revealed at the end. I did not believe that Emily's reasons for killing herself were sufficiently grave. And I couldn't believe that NO ONE -- not the police, not his parents, not the lawyer, no one -- asked Chris what really happened that night.
Stilll, with Picoult's wonderful writing, this book is still worth reading.
All of the above were present in "The Pact," a story of the death of a teenage golden girl, with her longtime boyfriend accused of the murder -- which he claims was a double suicide gone awry. The defendant bobs and weaves as news of Emily's pregnancy comes to light, and plenty of red herrings are thrown into the mix. But still something was missing.
I felt like there just wasn't quite ENOUGH drama in this book... I expected one more horrifying secret to be revealed at the end. I did not believe that Emily's reasons for killing herself were sufficiently grave. And I couldn't believe that NO ONE -- not the police, not his parents, not the lawyer, no one -- asked Chris what really happened that night.
Stilll, with Picoult's wonderful writing, this book is still worth reading.
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Finished Reading
November 30, 2007
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I'm with you. It's almost like the author ran out of steam... Have you read Lisa Gardiner's books? Those are pretty good on the suspense, similar to Picoult.
I haven't but I'm adding one to my to-read list right away, because I'm growing weary with Picoults novel at the time. Thanks for the tip.
Hi! This was my first Picoult novel, although I enjoyed it I also agree that it was lacking in delving into the reason Emily commited suicide. It was a bit weak. If I were to read another Picoult novel which one do you recommend. I actually picked up two others recently. Lisa Gardiner, will look into it. Have you read Lisa Genova? Left neglected? Excellent!
Haven't tried Lisa Genova - thanks for the recommendation!
Jennifer: Having read almost every book Picoult have written (it was a challenge that I sometimes deeply regret having accepted), I would recommend 'Plain Truth' as it def. was my favorit of hers. Good luck!
Lain wrote: "Haven't tried Lisa Genova - thanks for the recommendation!"You are welcome Lain. I have actually connected with Lisa through Facebook and she has replied. She is a very down to earth new author. She just finished a new book on autism should be out soon.
Ellen wrote: "Jennifer: Having read almost every book Picoult have written (it was a challenge that I sometimes deeply regret having accepted), I would recommend 'Plain Truth' as it def. was my favorit of hers. ..."Hi Lain: I will order Plain Truth from the library. I recently finished "The tenth circle", not sure if you read that one but I wasn't too impressed. But I am not giving up took a break from her to read A Discovery of Witches which is a lot of fun if you like witches and vampires. I am now starting Nineteen Minutes. Have you read it??
Jennifer wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Jennifer: Having read almost every book Picoult have written (it was a challenge that I sometimes deeply regret having accepted), I would recommend 'Plain Truth' as it def. was my fav..."Nineteen Minutes is okay, a bit clich茅 though. I loved the first chapter, the rest was so-so. It's pretty easy to foresee what the big 麓plot-twist麓 is, though I think its out of character. (I'm not gonna spoil too much here) It's not one of her worst books, but def. not one of the best either.
I just finished Nineteen Minutes. I also just read We need to talk about Kevin which had both High School Killings as the main topic. Its interesting how the two authors have their different take on this issue. I liked the way Picoult presented both sides of the story, in the end there seems to be two different victims in this story. To what extent, do we believe that being bullied could cause this type of horrific event is something to think about. I do think it does warrant taking a second look at bullying and what is being done to protect our youth. More and more bullying is having an impact on our youth and there must be a better way to protect them because our institutions don't seem to be doing a very good job.
I agree. I wondered if the "WOW" part was going to be different... wondered if Melanie (Em's mom) had shot her meaning to shoot Chris when she saw him with a gun. Since she destroyed evidence that would benefit Chris, I thought she'd play a bigger part than the raging mama bear. I didn't feel a mind blow that I usually get from her books.
Emily was suicidal because she had a lot of pressure for her life to go a certain way, and she wasn't sure if she wanted it to take that path. Getting pregnant made her feel like she was cemented to one path and lost all hope for options. These things may not make you suicidal, but they have made other actual people suicidal. Suicidal feelings are not always logical or rational. They often are not. The feeling that there is no hope for anything to change is a very common reason cited for being suicidal.
And i REALLY don't understand the character of Mel - what is her deal?