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Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

The Pact: A Love Story

1. How do you feel the extended family environment created by the Hartes and the Golds affected their children? Did it contribute to Emily's death? Is there such a thing as being too close to another non-blood relative family?

2. How did the marital relationships of the Golds and the Hartes contribute to Gus's and Michael's temptations?

3. Is Melanie justified in her feelings and actions toward the Hartes following Emily's death?

4. "Chris and Emily had grown up with love, with wealth, and with each other. What more could they have needed?" (page 35) In your opinion, what more did they need? Were Chris and Emily content with what they had at any time in their lives?

5. Consider the personalities of the Hartes and the Golds. Do opposites attract? Does it make for the best communication in a marriage?

6. In what ways does jail change Chris? What ways does it benefit him and/or hurt him?

7. Is the punishment meted out to Chris just? In your opinion, is Chris guilty of murder? Do you think Chris's trial will affect Jordan's view of the justice system? Explain.

8. What is the significance of the "blank" piece of paper that Chris finds in the tin can at the end of the book?

9. Does the title just refer to the pact between Emily and Chris?

The Pact: A Love Story
by Jodi Picoult

  • Publication Date: May 5, 1999
  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial
  • ISBN-10: 0688170528
  • ISBN-13: 9780688170523