When Mike came back from Afghanistan, he brought all sorts of goodies with him, the things Soldiers' Angels sent that got shared and picked over by everyone.  In this box of goodies was a book called The Pact by Jodi Picoult.  I read the summary, noted that Lifetime had made a movie of it, and couldn't decide whether or not it would be a good read.  Having read it, I can say that it certainly captivated me and moved me emotionally after about the first half.

Two couples have been living next to each other for nearly 20 years, and their high school-age children, Chris and Emily, have been inseparable literally from the moment of their birth.  When they started dating at age 13, it was what everyone expected and wanted, especially their parents.  However, something was wrong with the picture.  Just before Chris' 18th birthday, the two of them attempted suicide, Emily succeeding and Chris living on.  Chris is immediately suspected to have murdered Emily, despite the very different story he tells about the incident.  Emotions run high, the two families cleave, internal conflicts abound in the separate households, and Chris is ultimately hauled to court to prove his guilt or innocence.  Nothing is ever the same again.

In the back of the book is a little article written by the author concerning how her book is frequently assigned reading in schools, presumably to address the issue of teen suicide, and how its appropriateness is frequently called into question.  However, while it was a pretty good read (I'll admit it, I kinda like Lifetime movies) and may seem like it touches on an important subject that teens should learn about, the author seems to have had trouble sorting out what her own book was really about.  Is it about parents that pushed two people to an incestuous closeness, like encouraging twins to date, making one of the pair unstable?  Or is it about childhood molestation and how it affects people when they grow older and begin to become intimate with someone?  I mean, ultimately it is about "suicide," but Emily's character, being poorly developed because of even the author's confusion about why she really wanted to die, can sometimes be hard to relate to (and that is not because she is a suicidal teen and readers may not be able to relate to that).

The author explicitly states several times, outside of dialogue like a looming fact, that the reason Emily wanted to die was because of the disturbing relationship her parents had pushed her into with Chris.  However, she throws in this tidbit about Emily having been molested, which I felt was not addressed fully enough because of my feeling that it was the true cause of her suicide.  It's almost like an afterthought, the way the author sprinkles in all these larger symptoms of the molestation, such as the fact that Emily can't stand the sight of herself, especially naked; the way she constantly mentions a nightmare that leaves her with unimaginable feelings when she wakes up; and how she is violently opposed to sexual acts, forcing herself to go through with it for the Chris' sake and the sake of her relationship.  She also paints a frightening "self-portrait" in her art class in which a therapeutic art expert is able to identify several signs of molestation.  It is clearly all the feelings springing from her trauma that cause her to want to escape into death, but for some unknown reason, the author is trying to convince us that it's something else entirely.  She doesn't seem to want her character to have developed in the way that she did to the point that she outright tries to deny what Emily became during the course of writing, but Emily is what she is; readers must simply look past the insisting of the author to see it.

Ultimately, it may offer a good message about what can happen after someone has left everything behind, about what goes on for the people around them whose lives are affected by their death.  It also may serve as a tool for addressing the fact that a teen's depression and longing to die are legitimate feelings stemming from legitimate problems.  It also seems that there is almost an unstated message that Emily could have been helped, and I believe this simply because if she was placed in a room with a decent therapist, her past and present issues may have been able to have been worked through with her by a professional.  Should Chris have told someone about Emily's suicidal feelings?  Perhaps, I can't say with any certainty.  However, the book does send a message about the importance of communication on many levels, of which that is only one.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars, because while I know there are way better books out there, it's a pretty good read.  I wouldn't ever consider it a waste of time to have read it.  Don't forget to pick up a copy at the Notes From Carcosa Official Online Store!