The Pact by Jodi Picoult

For eighteen years, the Hartes and the Golds have been neighbours for eighteen years, sharing absolutely anything and everything. They've grown so close to each other that they've been part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have become best friends, and in high school, their two children - Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more, and they've already become soul mates the moment they were born.

When midnight calls from the hospital comes in, neither of them were ready to face the appalling truth that Emily is pronounced dead at seventeen with a gunshot in her head and a single unspent bullet is in the gun that Chris has claimed that he had taken from his father's cabinet. Chris explains that this bullet was meant to be for himself, but a local detective doubts this and finds it unlikely to be the suicide pact that Chris has described to be.

The questions faced by the characters in this heart-rending novel are the ones we can all relate to - how well do we really know our children or our friends? The chapters unfold, which alternates between the idyllic past and the equally unthinkable present, this novel indeed paints an indelible portrait of 2 families in anguish, as well as a suspenseful courtroom drama when Chris finds himself being charged with first degree murder.

I really enjoyed reading this novel as Jodi Picoult has yet again created this novel with riveting psychological drama, she has an uncanny ability to bring us into the worlds of teenagers and create such an outstanding novel which also explores the minds of teenagers and the stereotypical problems that they face. This is indeed a good read as it is deeply moving as the sudden, violent death in the novel was extremely gripping, and Chris's trail was very compelling and filled with suspense.