The Pact: A Love Story

by Jodi Picoult

Overview

The first book by "New York Times" bestselling author Picoult available in mass market paperback is a riveting, timely, heartbreaking, and terrifying novel of families in anguish and friendships ripped apart by inconceivable violence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060858803
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/21/2006
Series:	P.S. Series
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

JODI PICOULT is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six novels. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the ALA’s Alex Award, the New Hampshire Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit, and the prestigious Sarah Josepha Hale Award in recognition of her distinguished body of written work. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children. You can visit her website at wwww.jodipicoult.com

 

Hometown:

Hanover, New Hampshire

Date of Birth:

May 19, 1966

Place of Birth:

Nesconset, Long Island, NY

Education:

A.B. in Creative Writing, Princeton University; M.A. in Education, Harvard University

Website:

http://www.jodipicoult.com/

Read an Excerpt

NOW

November 1997

There was nothing left to say.

He covered her body with his, and as she put her arms around him she could picture him in all his incarnations: age five, and still blond; age eleven, sprouting; age thirteen, with the hands of a man. The moon rolled, sloe-eyed in the night sky; and she breathed in the scent of his skin. "I love you," she said.

He kissed her so gently she wondered if she had imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes.

And then there was a shot.

What People are Saying About This

Anne Rivers Siddons

Anyone who doubts that there is any more vivid, original fiction being written must read The Pact. Jodi Picoult has written a truly fine book, a piece of total contemporary Americana.

Luanne Rice

Jodi Picoult has written a haunting tragedy of two families. The tact is rich with suspense and compassion, and it will make people question how well they know their own children. It is an intensely moving novel.

Reading Group Guide

Plot Summary
The Pact, Jodi Picoult's fifth novel, is at a once love story, a psychological study of two families in crisis, and a courtroom drama that could be taken from today's headlines. It is a multi-layered novel that invites discussion about the mysteries of relationships of all kinds: How well we know ourselves, our children, our best friends? Jodi Picoult has given us a rich canvas that allows us to ponder these questions and to see that it is in a crisis that we find out what we're really made of. In the end The Pact poses the heart-stopping question: How far would you go for someone you love?

Topics for Discussion

How do you feel the extended family environment created by the Hartes and the Golds affected their children? Did it contribute to Emily's suicide?

Is there such a thing as being too close to another non-blood relative family?

How do you feel Chris handled his guilt? Can he justify helping Emily commit suicide?

How did the marital relationships of the Golds and the Hartes contribute to Gus's and Michael's temptations?

Is Emily correct in believing she had no other alternatives to suicide? Explain.

Is Melanie justified in her feelings and actions toward the Hartes following Emily's death? What might justify her behavior?

On page 35 is the following statement: "Chris and Emily had grown up with love, with wealth, and with each other. What more could they have needed?" Comment.

In what ways does jail change Chris? In what ways does he benefit from the experience, and in what ways does it hurt him?

Consider the personalities of the Hartes and the Golds. Do oppositesattract? Does it make for the best communication in a marriage? How do the events of the book support or deny this thesis?

Where do you see these characters in five years?

Is the punishment meted out to Chris just? In your opinion, is Chris guilty of murder?

Which character in the book is the most adaptable? The least adaptable? Why?

Do you think Chris's trial will affect Jordan's view of the justice system? Explain.

What is the significance of the "blank" piece of paper that Chris finds in the tin can at the end of the book?

Editorial Reviews

Picoult suggests the subtle ways in which parents can place dangerous pressures on their children.
— The New York Times Book Review

Megan Harlan

Engrossing...Picoult's deft touch makes this her breakout novel.

People Magazine

“Picoult is a writer who understands her characters inside and out.”  - Roxane Gay, New York Times Book Review
“It’s hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes.”  - Financial Times
“Picoult is a skilled wordsmith, and she beautifully creates situations that not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us.”  - Boston Globe
"Picoult always tells both sides of a story not with judgment, but with grace.”  - Washington Post

From the Publisher