This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Thursday, January 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Jenson Books Inc

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$10.99
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Al-Divine Enterprises LLC

Follow the author

Jodi Picoult

Follow

The Pact: A Love Story Paperback – May 5, 1999

by Jodi Picoult (Author)

4.4 19,257 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$8.90","priceAmount":8.90,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"90","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fw6m3Kl6eqe7d25UeKP4eYa1Pble3ZswXAxcghetPmOYNuIcF5gAEu3Avboppp5zI1IOXsbEFklXTBnnMsxu4gXCGAmxar%2FiYhnDi5llDMtwPXt3D6rI4ODUOyw06fpt8PFn7kjPceNFXBBg5xY%2FUpVEhJzYMt7jCOgg7j2Atcxi8zQJiWprm3arYl2GLvYw","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.90","priceAmount":7.90,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"90","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fw6m3Kl6eqe7d25UeKP4eYa1Pble3ZswsEr%2FYV6C9MtfONeBI3XzjMCj4%2B%2BfWUWdrEFwlMAzhbDyKxkqwSUrdxFr76frjRcDUoMWaUfp9mE0zf61yIF98t7iUAxElJsV3hlJt29RQ4DF21nwMVIRvbKrA5qOKC3WpOtJg%2Bg3XKoCT8%2FHapG8zOM4XNRa%2F%2BgF","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Friendship, loyalty, lifelong love -- and teenage suicide. A riveting, timely, and terrifying novel from an acclaimed writer who skillfully intertwines the intimate perceptions of Anne Tyler with the dramatic tension of John Grisham

The Golds and the Hartes, neighbors for eighteen years, have always been inseparable. So have their children-and it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. But the bonds of family, friendship, and passion-which had seemed so indestructible -- suddenly threaten to unravel in the wake of unexpected tragedy.

When midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the truth. Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris pilfered 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 describes.

This extraordinary, heart-rending novel asks questions that every parent faces: How much do we know about 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 . . . and creates an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama, as Chris finds himself on trial for murder.

It's rare to find a writer who combines Alice Hoffman's gift for evoking everyday life in pellucid prose with a remarkable ability to create a legal page-turner that will keep you up all night reading, but this is such a book. The Pact rings true: wonderfully observed, truly moving, frightening, and utterly impossible to put down.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

May 5, 1999
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0688170528
ISBN-13

978-0688170523
Lexile measure

760L
See all details

Frequently bought together

$8.90

Get it Jan 25 - 26

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by ICTBooks.

+

$10.99

Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 23

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Jodi Picoult
49,299
Paperback
161 offers from $1.23
Jodi Picoult
93,194
Paperback
193 offers from $1.19
Jodi Picoult
15,860
Paperback
191 offers from $1.50
Jodi Picoult
8,042
Paperback
198 offers from $1.23
Jodi Picoult
20,971
Paperback
141 offers from $1.25
Jodi Picoult
7,247
Mass Market Paperback
123 offers from $1.25

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jodi Picoult is the author of The Pact and six other critically acclaimed novels. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two sons, and daughter.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Pact

By Jodi Picoult

Perennial

Copyright © 1999 Jodi Picoult
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780688170523

Now

November 1997

There was nothing left to say.

He covered her body with his, and as she put her arms around him she could picture him in all his incarnations: age five, and still blond; age eleven, sprouting; age thirteen, with the hands of a man. The moon rolled, sloe-eyed in the night sky; and she breathed in the scent of his skin. "I love you," she said.

He kissed her so gently she wondered if she had imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes.

And then there was a shot.

Continues...
Excerpted from The Pactby Jodi Picoult Copyright © 1999 by Jodi Picoult. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (May 5, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688170528
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688170523
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 760L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,353,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21,265 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #26,279 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #92,837 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 19,257 ratings

Important information

To report an issue with this product or seller, click here.

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Jodi Picoult

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight novels, including Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.

Her next novel, Mad Honey, co-written with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is available on October 11th.

Follow Jodi Picoult on Intagram, Twitter, and Facebook: @jodipicoult

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

19,257 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

BobJac

A Touchy Subject

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

The Hartes and the Golds lived in the semi rural part of the New Hampshire town of Bainbridge. As next door neighbors the two families became close friends. Augusta (Gus) and James Harte had a son, Chris, and 6 months later Melanie and Michael Gold had a daughter, Emily. Chris and Emily grew up together and became inseparable. The families were the best of friends.
Chris was a champion swimmer and a straight A student. Emily was interested in pursuing a career in art. They were both in their last year at high school and were preparing for their college futures.
Early one morning both sets of parents received a phone call advising them that their children were admitted to the local hospital. Emily had died from a gunshot wound and Chris was suffering from a head injury requiring 70 stitches. Investigations suggested that Chris had shot Emily with his dad’s gun and was subsequently charged with first degree murder. He was adamant that she was suicidal and her death was a suicide pact between them which went horribly wrong.
After being charged with murder Chris was held without bail, and was sent to the country prison awaiting trial. Jordan McAfee was hired as his defense attorney. As Chris dealt with life in prison the closeness of the families fell apart. Melanie Gold was convinced Chris murdered her daughter. She and Michael saw no signs whatsoever that Emily was suicidal. Gus Harte stood by her son, convinced he was caught up in a suicide pact with Emily, and was innocent of murder. Jordan McAfee was defending Chris on that basis. But no one had asked Chris what really happened on that fateful night. What happened between Chris and Emily? Was Chris part of a suicide pact or did he willfully murder Emily?
Jodi Picoult takes on the touchy subject of teen suicide in this page turning novel.

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

I Loved the Whole Entire Book, Could Not STOP Reading! Had to keep Reading to see what was going to happen next. I especially liked how it went back to Chris and Emily being Children and the explanation of how they grew up together.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tsanche

One of Picoult's Best

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2009

Verified Purchase

Originally released in 1997, "The Pact," is probably one of Jodi Picoult's best known works. It has garnered a pretty strong cult following. As a result it's one of those books we can say has a love it or hate it relationship. There are few who will find themselves in between. Love it or hate it, one can't deny how much Picoult's novel opens the door to a very serious issue.

The Golds and the Hartes have been friends for a long time. They're next door neighbors who have become close. Their children Emily Gold and Christopher Harte have become close over the years, and it comes as no surprise to their parents. Then, out of the blue, Emily Gold kills herself in what was apparently supposed to be a suicide pact between Emily and Chris. Now Emily is dead, and Chris is alive and well, and he's the only one who has any answers. Now Emily's parents are trying to find out what happened to their daughter, and are also wondering just how well they knew her, while Chris is up to his neck in a legal squabble. The friendship between the two families that seemed eternal suddenly comes crashing down, as both sets of parents come to the realization that they didn't know their children quite as well as they thought.

Needless to say, there's a lot of drama in Picoult's novel, and a lot of emotional turmoil. Jodi Picoult is no stranger to dealing with tough issues and exploring them. The Pact is no different, but here Jodi Picoult goes further into the heart of the matter. By exploring not just how the character cope with Emily's suicide, but also what lead Emily to do it in the first place. The book plays out by alternating between the past and the present. The reader literally gets to know Emily's life story. We're there from the moment she is born, to the moment all the way to her death. As a result, the reader really gets to know Emily Gold. And not just Emily Gold. We get to know Chris Harte as well. In fact, we get to know every character and they all become incredibly well developed. Sometimes a little too much. We learn a little bit more about some characters than we'd care to know. At times Picoult can carry on about a character, but at least she keeps it interesting.

However, the story moves at a smooth pace. The read is, overall, a fairly quick one. And the drama keeps coming with all the twists and turns. It's hard not to feel Picoult pulling at your heart strings. All the drama and characters lead to a pretty big conclusion. In the past, Jodi Picoult has sometimes come to implausible conclusions. You might get a similar feeling here. The book is very enjoyable, and the conclusion is even alright, although it isn't entirely believable.

The writing stands firm. It's very well written with elegant prose and vivid descriptions. Sometimes you get the sense that Picoult is providing too much description. At the very least you'll never feel drowned out in it. The dialog is also nice, coming off as very natural rather than scripted.

The Pact is a very nice book that's filled with very lovable characters. Its sure to spark a bit of discussion among readers. It's a very likable book that is filled with it's own charms. It is one of Picoult's best.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Theresa Ranieri

A favorite woman author!

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

Love her complex plot and Characters!

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Bikermum2687

Heart breaking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2023

Verified Purchase

What a truly beautiful story. The tragic story of young love pain and the never answered questions. You never know how things are and how quickly love can change.

Anne

The pact,

Reviewed in France on September 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

excellent livre. A lire.

One person found this helpful

Translate review to English

MrsBTS

A thoroughly good read and like all her books

Reviewed in India on July 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

Jodi picoult has really outdone herself again . A thoroughly good read and like all her books, gives you a lot to think about.

Mary L. Laudien

A Heart-Breaking Page Turner

Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Too many people are touched by the reality of teen suicide and there is a need to understand how this could possibly happen. Jodi Picoult's novel creates a story that presents a realistic and possible situation. The characters are believable and how they cope and live through their reactions, relationships, heartbreak, anger, grief and despair keeps the reader actively engaged with the story. In fact, "The Pact" keeps one having to know what really happened. The suspense created through the character development ensures readers experience suicide through the perspective of these fictional parents and their teenagers. Parent readers will find this story frightening. No matter how close one may be with their teenager, do we really know him/her?

One person found this helpful

Tia

Moving

Reviewed in Spain on June 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I find that the book has its ups and downs. I got a little bogged down with legal proceedings at times, but the nearer I got to the end, the more difficult it became to put it down.

See more reviews