The Pact by Jodi Picoult

I read "The Pact" when it first came out and am rereading it again. It is amazing what you remember and how your opinion on things change.

I would have once called this a love story but now it is a story of emotional abuse and selfishness.  Two teenagers fall in love. One loves the either by leaps and bounds, the other feels trapped. One teen preys on the love of the other --- and uses that to help him take her life to form a suicide pact - damning the consequences he will be faced with.

Chris & Emily have known each other since infancy and have fallen in love. Their story is told in alternating chapters each having their own voice despite one being dead. They are tied together as schoolmates, friends, lovers and neighbors. Their love story is one that their parents wished for but it all ends tragically with an early morning phone call, one child dead, the other charged with murder.

Suicide is a difficult and sensitive subject to tackle and Picoult takes it on with finesse. The characters are well developed and the story will leaving you angry, frustrated and sad. An excellent read that will keep you turning the pages.