BOOK REVIEW: THE PACT by JODI PICOULT

 

About

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.

My Thoughts

This is the third I've read by Jodi Picoult book. So far I read My Sister's Keeper and Nineteen Minutes and now the Pact. I really like Jodi's writing because of the messages that I somehow manage to take away from her stories. The Pact followed teens Emily and Chris, neighbours, friends and eventually lovers. One midnight their parents were awakened by the news that Emily had been shot and Chris injured. When Emily succumbs to her injuries and dies, Chris reveals that him and Emily had a suicide pact as they both planned on killing themselves. This revelation led to a chain of events that land Chris, a model student in jail and cause their parents The Golds and The Hartes (Once very close drift apart).

What I liked about the story were reading about Emily and her struggles. Most teenagers do struggle in silence and being unable to deal with trauma and everything that goes with it may end it all. IT shows that no matter how perfect someone's life may seem, they can also be dealing with trauma. Like Nineteen Minutes, another point that Jodi Picoult emphasized quite well in this story was how little parents really know their children. Melanie and Gus (the mothers) were both convinced that they knew what their kids were capable of without really knowing them at all.

People like different things about books and writers,  honestly I really liked the court room and jail scenes in this book. I find it added not only a dramatic element but so many lessons came out of it. And let us not forget the closing argument of lawyer Jordan Mc Afee on "truth".  

This is a really good book. I thought initially it would have been more of a romance but it was that and so much more. I'm glad I a finally read this.

This was my book club pick for August 2022.  Join Between the Pages Book club on Goodreads by clicking the sidebar and join the discussion.

BOOK REVIEW: THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE BY ABI DARE'

 

About

The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams.

Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself - and help other girls like her do the same.

Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams...and maybe even change the world.

My Thoughts

"Your schooling is your voice, child. It will be speaking for you even if you didn't open your mouth to talk. It will be speaking till the day God is calling you come."

This book was very emotional and meaningful to me in so many ways. Adunni represented so many girls, not only in Nigeria but worldwide who because of where they come from even in the 21st century have no access to education. This was a work of fiction, yes, but it taught me so much. People often see you reading a novel and think you just reading for entertainment only, but what books like this do for me is to allow me to understand a world that I cannot even imagine.

The prose was outstanding. I loved that the most. It was very original and as a lover of Nigerian films made it very easy to read. I like how Dare' added elements of humor in the story as well because it helped to have the comic relief interwoven with all the emotional things going on.

The cast of characters all were significant in the book, Adunni, Kofi, Tia, Big Daddy but honestly it was Big Madam that stood out for me. Yes she was abusive and downright evil but there was a sadness within her that was presented beautifully I think and it made me feel for her. I would have loved to discuss this book face to face with someone who has read it because there are so many issues that one can discuss.

In all this was a great book.

BOOK REVIEW: ENVY (Seven Deadly Sins #2) by Victoria Christopher Murray

 

Now a Lifetime movie event!

From the NAACP Image award winner and national bestselling author of The Personal Librarian comes a novel inspired by the seven deadly sins about a woman who wants more than just a relationship from her newly discovered​ half-sister—she wants her life.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Gabrielle Wilson has the perfect life: a Beverly Hills mansion, a loving family, and a massively successful PR firm. When her father admits that an affair he had years before resulted in a daughter, Gabrielle is shocked, but is actually happy. Could this be the sister she has been praying for all her life?

Keisha Jones’s life is a struggle. Her late mother worked on the streets, and school was its own nightmare. When Gabrielle offers to fly Keisha out of Arkansas to meet the family, Keisha instantly agrees. But Gabrielle doesn’t realize that Keisha has known about the Wilsons for years. Keisha is determined to have everything she has always envied, and nothing can stand in her way.

Includes a reading group guide with an author Q&A and discussion questions for book clubs.

".....attacks of envy, attacks of jealousy cannot be fought with the flesh. It's spiritual warfare, and you have to know which fight you're having before you get into the battle."

Envy is in my opinion the deadliest of sins. Reading this book reminded me of that. Sometimes people hate you for no other reason but that they envy you. Having been on the receiving end of that I know. Keisha's envy in this book however was due to lack and loss. Having lost her those important to her, having been taken advantage of, she became envious of her new found sister Gabrielle who had it all; the husband, the daughter, the thriving business. 

I think this story was also a reminder of how you have to be careful who you let into your life and home affairs, no matter what. I felt that Gabrielle and Elijah should have been more wary about letting Keisha into their lives. I didn't like that Gabrielle was so trusting even when Regan was trying to warn her about Keisha's motives.

The ending was really difficult for me, very emotional....(I will stop because if I go on I will spoil it) But I will say though that this book really made me believe that there are people who are willing to put animosity aside.

I really liked this book. It was an easy read but with many life lessons. I went out and got the rest of the books in the series to see what I would like best.

BOOK REVIEW: CEREUS BLOOMS AT NIGHT BY SHANI MOOTOO

 

Synopsis

Set on a fictional Caribbean island in the town of Paradise, Cereus Blooms at Night unveils the mystery surrounding Mala Ramchandin and the tempestuous history of her family. At the heart of this bold and seductive novel is an alleged crime committed many years before the story opens. Mala is the reclusive old woman suspected of murder who is delivered to the Paradise Alms House after a judge finds her unfit to stand trial. When she arrives at her new home, frail and mute, she is placed in the tender care of Tyler, a vivacious male nurse, who becomes her unlikely confidante and the storyteller of Mala's extraordinary life. In luminous, sensual prose, internationally acclaimed writer Shani Mootoo combines diverse storytelling traditions to explore identity, gender, and violence in a celebration of our capacity to love.

My Thoughts

Shani Mootoo is most definitely a talented author after finishing the story I needed a few days to digest it before I could write a review. Mala Ramchandin ( the main character) is said to be crazy and responsible for the death of her father. The story starts with Mala being admitted to a home and cared for by Tyler, a misunderstood nurse who cares for Mala in a way that stuns his peers.

As we learn about Mala's life we are taken on an emotional journey, one full of hurt and disappointment. What I found interesting about the story was the setting, i think the author blended very well the flora and fauna of the environment with the situation. This book would really make a rich book club discussion. 

This was quite a heartbreaking and emotional story and while I didn't love it I would recommend it.