The Pact by Jodi Picoult

So, at the strong urging of Tim (OK he only mentioned it once or twice), I finally got around to reading The Pact by Jodi Picoult. As we all know, I am totally into Picoult right now and I might as well just change the title of this blog to the "Jodi Picoult Book Review Blog".

In this Picoult novel, the issue being dealt with is Teen Suicide. There are also side issues, such as teen sex, childhood molestation and the grief of losing a child. It was a great story. Chris and Emily grew up next door to each other. They are best friends. Their parents are best friends. As they get older, they fall in love. Everyone is happy. Except Emily, isn't quite as happy as she should be.

There are so may reasons why she isn't happy, but I think most of it can be summed up in the word: expectation. The expectation of her parents, the expectation of her teachers, and most of all, the expectation of Chris. Her wants, her feelings, and her needs can't compare the expectations of those others. She spends her time living up to that, as she slowly dies on the inside. Ironically, committing suicide is the most selfish thing she did. She finally does something for herself-and it devastates those others in a way her not living up to those expectation ever could have.

It's funny, as a person who feels like she constantly puts others before herself, I can relate to Emily. It's exhausting knowing people expect so much out of you. It's exhausting knowing you are going to fail. It's exhausting never getting to put yourself first.

Not that I think suicide is the answer. But what do you do when you thrive on pleasing others and then realize you can't? That you are going to fail.

Most of us just accept failure. Sometimes, like with Emily, though we are too young to know how to do that.

There are many great moment in this book (and apparently there is a Lifetime movie). I definitely recommend it, but I am not sure I think this is Picoult's best work.

I have a few more books to go. I'll let you know.