Book Review: The Pact by Jodi Picoult

The Pact- Jodi Picoult

Synopsis:

Emily Gold and Christopher Harte have known each other their whole lives, having grown up next door to each other in the small town of Bainbridge, New Hampshire. Virtually inseparable, the two are best friends and soul mates, with their friendship blossoming into a romantic relationship when they reach their teens. Their parents, Melanie and Michael Gold, and James and Gus (Augusta) Harte, are just as excited at the romantic union between their children- unsurprised at the turn that their friendship has taken- and impatiently wait for the day when they will be able to call each other in-laws, rather than just best friends.

But everything changes one night when Emily and Chris are admitted into hospital- Emily with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The gun, belonging to Chris’ father, is found at the scene, with one unspent bullet still remaining in it. Chris tells police that the second bullet was intended for him, to complete the suicide pact he made with his girlfriend, but that he fainted before he could take his own life.

Doubting Chris’ story, the police decide to launch an investigation, naming Chris as the main suspect, and treating Emily’s death as a homicide…

What I gained from reading this book:

As with all of Picoult’s novels, The Pact raises some serious issues- most notably issues regarding teen suicide and love- and challenges the sincerity of the old saying, ‘Innocent until proven guilty’.

Chris’ life is irrevocably changed as he finds himself on trial for his beloved’s murder. His intense love for Emily, and his willingness to see her happy -whatever the cost- is his ultimate downfall. He learns who his true friends are, and discovers just how far his mother is willing to go to show her unwavering support for her son. Similarly, he sees how, despite his distancing himself from the problem, his father still tries to show compassion for Chris’ cause.

All of this is in direct contrast to Melanie Gold’s reaction to Chris’ involvement in her daughter’s death. Melanie, despite knowing Chris his whole life, is unable to comprehend that her daughter was suicidal, instead preferring to pin the blame on Chris, labelling him a murderer. She refuses to believe that her daughter wouldn’t talk to her about any problem that she may have had. This raises the question: How well do we ever really know our friends and family? There is always the perception that we should know when something is wrong, but in actuality, sometimes these problems can remain a secret until it’s too late to do anything about them. This book highlights the anguish faced by two grieving families, and serves as a lesson to readers that sometimes we don’t know people as well as we’d like to think we do.

Positives:

This novel is beautifully written- Picoult makes it easy to understand and feel the conflict that Emily experiences in her relationship with Chris. Similarly, the tension and the emotion surrounding Emily’s death and Chris’ subsequent incarceration and trial, is extremely life-like, and draws us into the characters’ world.

Negatives:

This novel could be a little bit depressing for some people. Emily believes that all of her troubles will disappear if she can find a way to end her life, and as we progress through the book, we can see that this belief is what pushes her to make the decisions that she does- ultimately turning Chris’ life upside down. People who are looking for a light and fluffy read should steer clear from this novel.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Genre: Family/ Relationships

Recommended for: People who would do anything for love, even if the end result involves serious repercussions.

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Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Synopsis:
When Clay Jensen arrives home from school one day, he is surprised to find a plain package, with his name and address scrawled on it, waiting for him. With no sender address listed, and containing seven loose audiotapes (which are numbered), Clay is intrigued by the parcel and decides to listen to the first tape, hoping to uncover the mystery of who sent them to him.
But what Clay hears turns out to be the last thing he ever expected- Hannah Baker, his high school crush, who killed herself two weeks earlier.
On the tape, she explains that there were thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life, and that each of the people who receive the tapes are responsible for playing a part in her death. Clay is one of those people.
All that she requests is that each tape is listened to in full and then sent on to the next person on the list. If somebody doesn’t comply with her rules, then a copy of the tapes (with their incriminating stories) will be released into the public domain for everyone to hear, not just the thirteen people she has chosen.
Anxious to hear Hannah’s voice, and worried about what role he played in her death, Clay gets out the map he received from Hannah in the days before she swallowed the pills and traces her story and his role in it.
Over the course of a night, Clay learns all about what pushed Hannah over the edge, witnessing first-hand the trauma that caused her downward spiral, and learning some hard truths about himself in the process.

What I gained from reading this book:
Asher’s debut novel deals with the delicate topic of teenage suicide, and explores some of the reasons why people might choose this as the ultimate solution to their problems. His portrayal of Hannah, taunted by rumours, passive-aggressive bullying and a strong sensitivity, helps to paint a picture of how one vibrant girl could change so quickly into one whose life spiralled out of control- so much so, that the only way that she could find a way out of it was to kill herself.
This novel also highlights how one negative action can create a snowball to affect the lives of many people, even if the original action seems insignificant at the time.
Most of all, this novel teaches us that small acts of kindness can provide a ray of hope for people who need it most. Even though Hannah commits suicide before this novel even begins, she remembers the kindness that Clay and several other students showed to her. Clay realises this as he listens to the tapes, and, hoping to prevent a repeat of what happened to Hannah, learns to reach out to other people who seem lost, in the hope that he can make a difference. This is something that everyone can learn.

Positives:
The way that the novel is written is clever, with Hannah’s story interspersed with Clay’s own reactions and thoughts. This allows us to see several perspectives at the one time. The author is also able to build up suspense by allowing us to hear Hannah’s story only as Clay hears it, via the tapes. By doing this, it makes us- the readers- feel more involved in Hannah’s drama.

Negatives:
At times, you can’t help but feel that Hannah is overreacting to some of the things she claims had a role in her death. I understand that it’s the build up of these events that culminate in her suicide, and that her experiences weren’t pleasant in any way, but the way that she picks apart every little detail of what happened to her in order to justify her death sometimes seems just a tad over-the-top. Perhaps this is merely a reflection of somebody whose mental state is starting to collapse, but to me it seemed kind of nitpicky.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Genre: Teenage Fiction

Recommended for: People looking for a serious teen fiction that deals with complex issues.

If you or someone you know is having problems and you need to talk to somebody, please contact the following help lines:

Kids Help Line (Australia) 1800 55 1800
Lifeline (Australia) 13 11 14
Mental Health Advice Line (Australia) 1300 280 737



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below: