“Picoult suggests the subtle ways in which parents can place dangerous pressures on their children.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
The Pact is a story about two different families and their children who have been in love forever. The Hartes and the Golds have been neighbours for 18 years and their families are linked and intertwined. They share everything – food, illnesses and car pool duty. The children of the two families, Emily and Chris, inevitably fall in love with each other and spend all their time together.
The story begins when Emily and Chris are found at a carousel in distressing circumstances. Emily is dead and Chris is unconscious, creating a huge shock for both families. Chris insists he didn’t hurt Emily, that the death was a suicide pact that went wrong. Chris is forced to plead his innocence and prove that he has not committed a murder, he has not killed Emily and that they had chosen to take their lives together.
