The Pact

I am now swearing off Jodi Picoult, at least until someone convinces me that she's written something that doesn't rely on shock and awe, that is.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I'm pretty much done with Ms. Picoult. I think I want to read her because I like the way she writes, and I cannot say that her stories aren't compelling, save The Tenth Circle. I think the lure of her books is just that...that she's capable of telling a captivating story peopled with interesting characters.

However, and you knew the however was coming, she peppers her stories with too much sensationalism. And while this story didn't rise to level that it seemed she was determined to hit in The Tenth Circle, I still feel like she exercised too little restraint.

The central conflict in the story is enough: two teenagers, Chris and Emily, who may or may not have made a suicide pact. Chris and Emily have known each other since birth; they are best friends and have dated for about four years. Understandably, then, their relationship is much more than the typical teenage romance. But when the actual act goes down, only Emily is dead, and Chris has been told not to tell his story, the story of what actually happened that night, now that he's being prosecuted for her murder.

Pretty sensational, am I right?

But then Picoult goes ahead and adds insult to injury. There's the hint of a possible infidelity between two of the grieving parents, a murderously enraged mother mourning for her daughter and bent on revenge, prison conflicts caused by a homicidal inmate, a sister feeling the neglect caused by her brother's incarceration...none of which is developed enough. I would prefer to see more of Kate, for example, Chris's younger sister, and her pain and struggles as she watches her family go to pieces, rather than the possibility of infidelity or the fights in prison. I realized that Picoult wanted to give a fuller picture of all the things that might result from the suicide, including the strain it might cause on a marriage or they way that prison would scar an eighteen-year-old boy. By attempting to include it all, Picoult lost some of the depth that I think is necessary if you are going to tell a story as emotionally charged as this. That or the story needed to be slightly longer. You might think that is crazy since it is pretty long as it is, but I think Picoult is good enough that she could have explored the minor conflicts more. That and she could have left out the sex and focused on the people.

The other problem stems from this: Chris is the only fully fleshed out character. Emily comes close, but there wasn't enough for me to fully sympathize with her state of mind when she decides that she wants to take her life. Picoult comes close to getting me inside her mind. But it wasn't enough for me to say that I completely bought into her actions the night of her death. I will say that I fully sided with Chris at the end, and I DO think that was the point Picoult wanted to make. In any case, when the story was over, I found myself wishing I knew so much more about all of the main characters, the parents, Kate, Jordan (Chris's lawyer).

And then again, here she goes with the gimmicky ending, which is a spoiler so I won't tell you what happens. The problem with this "surprise gotcha" ending is that it wasn't really a surprise at all. I'm not sure if that was what Picoult had in mind because it fell so flat. Was she trying to shock the reader? I don't know. It wasn't shocking.

There was one thing, however, that I do think Picoult does well here. She paints a very ugly picture of what happens after someone commits suicide. I would never condemn someone for committing suicide. Depression and mental diseases are real, and I cannot judge someone who may make a poor choice in a moment of total despair. BUT what comes after is ugly and painful. These families were pulled apart because of what Emily chose to do, and while I've always been aware that suicide is harmful to those left behind, I never really gave the aftermath much thought. Emily hurt Chris, of course, and her parents, obviously. But she pulled those two families apart at the seams. She destroyed their trust in each other and their friendships. She put Chris's future in jeopardy. She put marriages in question. And this thread of the story is what, ironically enough, redeemed it for me. So that, and Picoult's writing ability, were enough to give it three stars. Otherwise, I would have given it two.

In the end would I recommend it? I really don't know. I'm just not sure that the good outweighs the bad. I would like to see if Picoult can tell a story without the surprise/shock ending.

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