There aren't many interesting and well
written novels about suicide, especially among teenagers. That's why
I decided to tell you about The Pact: A Love Story by
Judi Picoult, a good novel, where author with sensitivity and tact
has addressed this issue.
Judi Picoult is a bestselling writer,
she is an author of Nineteen Minutes, House Rules, My Sister's Keeper (which
is an excellent novel in my opinion). You can see her full bibliography on Wikipedia.
"I wanted to write the anti-Romeo
and Juliet story: the families that are too close, insteady of
enemies" - as the author explains on her website an idea for
this novel.
Summary from Amazon: "Until the phone calls came at 3:00
a.m. on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the
Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their
teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their
relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now
seventeen-year-old Emily has been shot to death by her beloved and
devoted Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact."
We deal with the drama of two families - one family has to deal with death of their daughter, the other
one - with son that was arrested and accused of
murder. The novel tends to reflect on how well we known
people, who live with us. Do we really know another person, even if
is our daughter, son or partner?
It turns out that almost everyone
expected that Chris and Emily will be together. With time, however,
Emily felt worse and worse - the pressure from the environment that
they will be a perfect match was unbearable. Especially that Emily
has treated Chris more like a brother than a lover. All these
problems caused that she began to have suicidal thoughts. She shares
her thoughts with Chris, and he attempts to prevent her from
committing the act.
I have mixed feelings about The Pact.
On the one hand is an interesting idea and subject, on the other -
some parts in the novel are simply unbelievable. Yes, it's a painful
book, with dramatic moments, but - in my opinion - it should be
written more fairly, with more dramatic and surprising story, because
it is hard to resist the impression that from the beginning Picoult
favors Chris and she in on his side, which leads to the conclusion
that he didn't do it. Besides, many chapters in the book are
unnecessary and only slowing down the plot.
It might not be the best novel Picoult
wrote (I recommend everyone to read My Sister's Keeper -
great novel), but because of the subject and many various and
interesting information about the phenomenon of suicide among
teenagers, I think this book is worth reading.
I think you will be
moved by The Pact: A Love Story and you'll long not be able to forget it.
