Often times as readers we feel "set" in our ways when it comes to reading. I have patrons that come into the library and will take one look at a book and say, "I don't read books with violence in them" or "Women authors aren't really my thing". I can't blame them, but, as a librarian, I can encourage them to explore. Also, I have to encourage myself to explore. This is how I came upon the works of Jodi Picoult.

From a glance at the cover you would almost be willing to dismiss her as another romance author like Nicholas Sparks or Danielle Steel and I did. Then I saw a patron of ours who had no affliction for romance or even popular authors reading a book of hers called NINETEEN MINUTES. Oddly enough this intrigued me to read an excerpt and, eventually, the rest of the book. I was hooked and soon I found myself wanting to read more of her works. An added affinity for HarperCollins "P.S." series of books lead me to THE PACT.

THE PACT is Picoult's fifth novel, it's plot centering on a young man named Chris who is found with his girlfriend dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in his lap. Soon a possibility of a suicide pact arises and Chris is eventually indicted for her murder. The book follows the rippling effects of this one tragic incident all the way to the very end.

It's gripping and heartbreaking all at once, often seeming almost too much for us, as readers, to bear. In Picoult's hands, though, we are guided along with ease and left with no easy way out. She takes her time in presenting all aspects of the story for us to make our own decision before the final one is revealed. The book is very compelling and never seems to drag itself out.

I highly recommend this one for all readers, not just the ladies or teenagers as might be expected. A word of warning, however, to keep your emotions in check and try not to get too choked up (as I did at one very tender moment towards the end). A very good selection for a book club to discuss.