"The Pact" Review

The Pact

By Jodi Picoult

7/10

My Synopsis:

Chris and Emily have been together their whole lives.  Raised next door to each other, they grew up like brother and sister.  As time went on, they of course became a couple - their love so strong, their bond so intense.  But now Emily is dead and Chris is found holding her body, his fingerprints on the gun that shot Emily in the head.  Was it a double suicide gone wrong or an unthinkable homicide?  Chris is taken into custody as the families which once thought of each other as family begin to fall apart.  But what really happened that night at the carousel?  There are only two people who know the truth – one of them is dead and the other is now on trial for her murder.

My Opinion:

The Pact by Jodi Picoult was a bit of a let down.  The writing was very descriptive.  The characters deeply developed.  The courtroom drama was gripping.  The problem I had was that I was expecting another book.  I was expecting My Sister’s Keeper also by Ms. Picoult and the first book of her books that I had read.  That book I would have rated a 10 out of 10 had I been doing reviews at the time.  I was literally in tears at the end.  But like anything else, starting with the best leaves you no place to go but down.  I was lucky enough to find one other Jodi Picoult book that rivaled My Sister’s Keeper in Handle With Care but The Pact lacked the punch of an ending that these other two books had going for them.  I like Ms. Picoult’s work.  She knows her way around a courtroom and is very good at drawing the reader in and making them care about the characters of which she is writing.  She just didn’t do it this time.  I didn’t care about Emily or Chris or their parents.  I enjoyed reading about their childhood but once they became a couple, I kind of lost interest.  I was constantly wondering why their parents weren’t in grief counseling after the incident to be honest.  This book was longer than the ones I usually tackle and so it took me some time to get through it.  It kept me coming back for more but it just wasn’t one of those can’t-put-it-down books.  I was looking forward to reading it but it just didn’t live up to my expectations.  I will however continue to read Ms. Picoult’s work and look forward to my next endeavor into her literary world.  7/10