Part One, The Boy Next Door: Now, November 1997 Summary

The Pact by Jodi Picoult is a heart wrenching story of love and betrayal that will leave readers questioning what they thought they knew of their own morals long after they have returned the book to the shelf. Chris and Emily grow up together, destined to be lovers before they are even old enough to talk. They are closer than siblings, able to feel each other's pain in a way no one else can possibly understand. One night all of that changes, however, when their parents get the phone call all parents dread. One child is dead. The other is charged with her murder. Two sets of parents will question their own roles in this tragedy, wondering how they could not see it coming, how they could allow it...