By Alyssa Book

Jodi Picoult has published 18 books, each dealing with topics that can pull on the heartstrings of people and end with a twist the reader will never see coming.  All of her books have intrigued me, leaving me thinking about controversial issues and letting me interpret the ending of the story with my own conclusions. I was lucky enough to stumble across The Pact, a book that is now in the collection of my favorite reads.

The plot centers around two teenagers who have been destined to be together since birth. Chris Hart and Emily Gold are the two main characters in this mysterious tale. With their parents being best friends and houses only yards away from each other, separation has never been an option. That is why the plot twist, which surprisingly unfolds on the first two pages, is so shocking.

A phone call at 3 a.m. tells the Harts and the Golds that one of their children is dead, while the other might have pulled the trigger. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat from the time you read the first sentence.

Was this really a suicide pact gone wrong, or a murder that went just right? This is the question that occupies your mind throughout the whole novel. A trial, parents’ interpretations, and evidence from the crime scene help you lead to decide who is innocent and who is really good at lying.

What I liked about the book was the mystery. Picoult presents the details of the murder and lays them out in a trial, and lets the reader form their own verdict throughout the book. Even when I finished the last page and shut the book for good, I was questioning what actually happened the night the victim died and if the verdict was correct. I think that takes a skilled author to keep the reader questioning their judgement and not spelling out the correct answer, instead letting the reader put together the clues for themselves.

Something that might frustrate the reader is the use of different protagonist telling the story. This feature can sometimes make it confusing and you really have to focus on who is speaking and what their point of view os on the trail. Switching off narrators does create some confusion.

I really enjoyed the book and never found a moment lacking suspense. The book is appropriate for all genders, although I would not recommend anyone to read it that is not in high school because of the topics it covers. The Pact is a book that captures you from the first sentence, and its meaning holds on to you forever.