September book review.
How far would you go for someone you love? How well can you really know your kids? What would you do if someone told you they wanted to commit suicide? These are all questions I found myself asking while reading The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult.
a quick overview.
Emily and Chris, whose parents were next door neighbors and best friends, grew up as childhood companions who would eventually become young lovers. Everyone encouraged their relationship – including their parents. But pressure begins to build upon Emily’s shoulders as she starts to question whether or not being Chris’s girlfriend is really what she wants. And that pressure is only made heavier by a surprise pregnancy.
Eventually, Emily begins to seek a way out and ends up setting her sights on suicide. The shot rings out on the first page of the book, setting in motion a series of events that leads to Chris admitting to a suicide pact, but landing in jail for Emily’s murder regardless.
I don’t want to give away too much of the storyline for those of you who may want to read it, but I do want to touch on a couple of key themes of the book.
the selfishness of suicide
If you’re adolescence was anything like mine, it probably isn’t too hard to remember how real, raw and elevated your emotions can be at that point in life. Every fight with your best friend seems earth-shattering. The smallest shred of gossip bearing your name makes showing your face in the hallways unbearable. Everything is felt tenfold and your world revolves around one person: you.
It’s hard to imagine at that point, but the world (and your life) is so much bigger than what you’re feeling or going through in those moments. No matter how hard something might be, there’s always a better way. And for those who choose to end it all with suicide, they’re taking the selfish way out. You may end your own pain in an instant, but that pain only reverberates to your loved ones. The Pact is a great example of how one person’s actions can create a snowball effect of negative life-changing events for the innocent you leave behind.
Emily’s parents’ relationship becomes strained with overwhelming grief. They question themselves and each other and they both become people who are less than admirable. Her boyfriend, whom she supposedly loves more than anything in the world, not only has to deal with the crushing weight of her death, but her death creates a questionable scene that wreaks havoc on Chris’ life. It puts him in jail, it rips him from school, destroys his livelihood. In a ripple effect, it of course also eats at Chris’ family – his parents and little sister.
tell someone
In the book, Chris took Emily’s secret solely upon his shoulders. Chris told himself he could convince her otherwise and he bided his time until it was too late. He reasoned that, if Emily really wanted to kill herself then he couldn’t stop her. He also told himself that it was what she really wanted and that if he truly loved her he wouldn’t stand in her way. But who’s to say she couldn’t have spoken to someone who knew how to help her. Who’s to say raising awareness of Emily’s mental state wouldn’t have triggered a chain reaction that would have saved her – and the baby’s – life?
My point is that it can’t get any worse by trying to get someone some help.
I’m glad I read this book because it raised awareness in me about what I would do if I ever found myself in a position where someone around me was showing signs that they are suicidal. I’ve concluded that telling someone and reaching out for help, is so much better than trying to handle things yourself.
a conversation catalyst.
I think The Pact could be a great jumping off point for navigating conversations with young people about suicide, depression and mental health. Picoult does a great job of portraying the characters in a realistic and relatable way. So much so that I think a lot of kids could see a little bit of themselves in either Chris or Emily.
For me, this book was a page turner from the very beginning. Like I said, the fatal shot is fired on the very first page and the drama begins from there. It’s set up in a series of “Then” and “Now” segments where the present is interrupted with the past in order to give back story, develop characters and create compassion. I loved the way it was set up.
To give you an idea of how much I liked it – I’ll just say that I can’t remember the last time I picked up and finished a novel. Usually I give up on books because I fall asleep a page or two in or get bored or distracted or am simply disinterested. But I started and finished The Pact in a little under two weeks and it’s spurred my desire to read again.
shop this book.
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