3rd Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

The Pact by Jodi Picoult. Harpercollins Publishers, 1998.

fiction

The Pact by Jodi Picoult, is based upon the lives of two families. Specifically, their children. These two families, the Harts and the Golds, are next door neighbors who are very close friends. The two wives even become pregnant at similar times. The children, Emily Gold and Chris Hart, are expected to become best of friends. Chris and Emily become inseparable from birth, first as best friends, then later as boyfriend and girlfriend. They are both perceived to be perfect teens who excel at what they do - Chris at swimming, and Emily at painting. They are both expected to go to fantastic colleges and have great lives. Among all of this, Emily and Chris try to navigate the uncertainty of Emily's sudden admission. She wants to die. What follows is a tangled web of love, trust, betrayal, and pain as the Golds and the Harts try to decipher what happens when the inseparable pair is divided by the death of Emily.

"The Pact is so good that we can't put it down... suspenseful, intelligently written, topical." - Detroit Free Press

The Pact does a good job of showing the reader what is often the truth when it comes to parent-teen relationships: no matter how well you might know someone, you can always know them better. As the story progresses Picoult deftly alternates between 'then' and 'now,' referring to before Emily's death and after her passing. While reading the then and then later the now, Picoult offers intriguing allusions as to what transpired in Emily and Chris's shared past that brings them to the present. At one point I was so curious that I skipped a whole 'now' part just to find out what happens during one part. 

Another thing that I like about Jodi Picoult's works is her attention to detail. In the other book I read by her, My Sister's Keeper, it was obvious that Jodi did her homework on her topic. In The Pact, it's obvious tedious research is involved when a psychologist, art therapist, and coroner are brought in to testify during the trial. I like that she researches her topics so thoroughly because it gives the story a more authentic feel.

"'It was no big deal,' Emily murmured. 

'Oh yeah?' He whispered. 'Then how come you're shaking?'

'It's nothing.' She said, shrugging, but she would not look at him. She methodically ate a burger she could no longer taste, and slowly convinced herself that she had told him the truth. (67)

I loved this book, a lot. I do like most of the books I read, that's the truth, but this book really shook me. When I started it, I was immediately drawn in by the two main characters, Emily and Chris. They seemed like every other 'poster high school college sweetheart couple' that you might read about, totally cliche, but they had flaws. The story reminded me of "Romeo and Juliet" in a way, but completely reversed. Instead of being pried apart by their families, Emily and Chris were almost forced together. Picoult brought up points about Emily's unhappiness that I would have never thought of. This book was so realistic and touching that one time during C block I almost started crying, and that is really saying something! 

2nd Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Skin Deep by E.M. Crane. Delacorte Press, 2008.

genre: fiction

Andrea Anderson is a sophmore at her high school. Her life is painfully boring: she is plain, quiet, and uninteresting. Or at least, that's how she perceives herself. She goes about her life without much fuss or excitement, until a tragedy rattles her school. It forces her to think about different aspects of her life and to reexamine her classmates. On top of this, her mom volunteers her to take care of her neighbor's dog while she is ill. These two events, combined with her new perspective on life, help her to grow and accept parts of her life that she can't change.

Reading from the book jacket, "If all the world's a stage, Andrea Anderson is sitting in the audience. High school has its predictable heroes, heroines, villains, and plotlines, and Andrea has no problem guessing how each drama will turn out."

E.M. Crane gives Andrea Anderson a very realistic voice in the book Skin Deep. Her thoughts are very authentic and believable. While reading this book, I could invision one of my friends saying a lot of the things she thinks. She has a very original way of describing situations. E.M. Crane's phrases in the book often got stuck in my head after I finished reading.

"Sometimes, when I lie in bed, I contemplate how much more content with my life I've become.

I'm satisfied with the events of a certain day, like the road trip with Honora and the day Ashley nearly backed her mom-i-van into the ditch at the end of my driveway." (195)

I really liked this book. At first, I was kind of skeptical, because it seemed like another one of those stories about the proverbial "girl in the corner who learns to love herself," like a lot of other books on the shelves. This book did include that, but made it much more interesting with a unique cast of characters and a very thought provoking plot. I really liked the plot, because you don't normally hear about the conflict with the teacher, but I'm sure it has happened. It really made for a good opportunity to show another side of the characters you get to know in the beginning of the book. While you read, you learn more about the people along with Andrea.