This is a download from audible.com that I made. It is a legal copy of the book, the only one in existence. Please do not make additional copies of this recording.
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Synopsis

In this contemporary tale of love and friendship, Jodi Picoult brings to life a familiar world, and in a single terrifying moment awakens every parent's worse fear: We think we know our children… but do we ever really know them at all?

For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty-- they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.

So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet-- a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described.

The profound questions faced by the characters in this heart-rending novel are those we can all relate to: How well do we ever really know our children, our friends? What if…? As its chapters unfold, alternating between an idyllic past and an unthinkable present, The Pact paints an indelible portrait of families in anguish… culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama as Chris finds himself on trial for murder.

With this riveting psychological drama, Jodi Picoult explores the dynamics of intimate relationships under stress-- from the seemingly inexplicable mind of a teenager to the bonds of friendship and marriage. Few writers have such a gift for evoking everyday life coupled with the ability to create a level of dramatic tension that will keep you up reading late into the night. The Pact is storytelling at its best: wonderfully observed, deeply moving, and utterly impossible to put down.

This is probably my 2nd favorite Picoult. It's well written and gripping. I read the book a while back, but grabbed the audio when I saw it on sale. The audio is fabulous, the narration is perfectly executed.

My previous thoughts from early last year:
How well do you know your child? How many parents knew their child was suicidal before they killed themselves? As parents, we like to believe we know our children, that we are close to them and that they tell us everything. Those of that remember being teenagers ourselves, know that isn't actually true ;)

I was up until 3am finishing this book. I could not put it down. In typical Picoult style, there's the "shocking twist", but the deeper levels of the book - how much you really know about your kids - is what kept me interested. I have a 4 and 6 year old. The fact that they will one day be teenagers scares the heck out of me.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing to msjoanna as a RABCK

Thanks so much for the two audiobooks! I'm excited to listen to these -- I've been listening to audios while working on stuff in my house -- cooking, crafts, etc. and building up a supply to listen to over the summer while I'm occupied with my newborn.

So, I listened to this while my child is a year old, not a newborn. But, like candieb, the interesting facet of the story for me was the question of how well parents know their children. I was also interested in the exploration of the intensity of emotion that comes with being a teenager. The story captures pretty well the world view of teens who definitely believe that they have to handle everything on their own, that their love stories are epic and that their declarations of love and faith must all be heroic and massive. The ability to be caught up in emotional whirlwinds is the unique province of teens, but it certainly is a specialty. This book did a nice job of portraying those feelings without being condescending to the characters.

I still find Picolt's writing to be pretty workaday -- the prose isn't beautiful, but it's functional and not objectionable. The trial dragged a little too much for me, but maybe that's because I'm a lawyer by trade and can't get past the moments that simply wouldn't be allowed in a courtroom. Plus, trials are, in general, pretty boring. Minor quibbles aside, I quite enjoyed the book.

I found the narrator for the unabridged audio version to be excellent. He didn't insert himself too much into the story and didn't try to do voices or characters, but read the lines with feeling and confidence. Recommended.

On its way to AceofHearts.

received in the mail today. Thanks!

My father listened to this and liked it very much

Took to a Meet-Up with Chronic. Wonderful to see her!!!