The Pact

Along with Chris, Emily is the novel’s key figure. However, throughout the present sections of the plot, she is deceased. Her character is revealed primarily through threads of the novel that take place in the past or through indirect characterization via descriptions from other characters. In many ways, Emily is portrayed as a typical American teenage girl of the late 20th century. She is kind and smart, obedient to her parents, and committed to succeeding in school. A talented visual artist, Emily aspires to pursue her art in college. Her friendship with Chris begins at birth, and they grow inseparable throughout their childhood and adolescence. Growing up in a middle-class household with supportive parents, Emily presumably has every advantage a teen could want.

Emily is impacted by the sexual assault she experienced when she was nine. Though relatively little of the plot is devoted to this, Emily’s diary hints at how the trauma is unaddressed and how it harmed her. As the relationship between her and Chris shifts to a romantic one, Emily is increasingly ashamed of and uncomfortable about her body and sexuality. The guilt and shame she feels about the assault negatively impacts her relationship with Chris, and she is uncertain whether she truly wishes to date Chris.

Part of Emily’s depression, it seems, revolves around her belief that she has no choice but to continue to date and one day marry Chris. Emily, at 17, is not sure if this is what she truly wants but feels pressured by her parents (and Chris’s parents) who have assumed from an early age that the teens would marry. When Emily becomes pregnant, she becomes even more unstable—she is certain that Chris would want her to have the baby and then immediately marry her, but she does not necessarily want that herself. The conversations Emily has with the Planned Parenthood counselor suggest that Emily regards suicide as the only—or best—solution to her trauma and depression. In the end, Chris aids in Emily’s plan to die by suicide out of love for Emily.

Gus Harte is an assertive and strong-willed character and remains so throughout the majority of the novel. The novel’s first image of her is that of a driven suburban woman who—albeit frenzied—is enjoying the challenges of a new business she has started. It is this outgoing quality that initially draws Melanie to her when they meet. Gus is witty, fierce, and determined. Melanie finds her to be nothing like herself and grows to admire Gus’s qualities. Gus’s dedication to Melanie in the early phases of their friendship is unwavering—she even assists Melanie when Melanie goes into labor with Emily.

The loss of Melanie’s friendship hurts Gus. Though Gus is strong and tough, she needs emotional support as she navigates the accusations leveled against Chris. James pulls away from her, unwilling to discuss Chris’s indictment or imprisonment, preferring instead to pretend that such events have not happened. Gus is upset by this, and the couple becomes increasingly distant as the trial draws closer. Unexpectedly, she finds herself, in turn, growing closer to Michael Gold. In him, Gus finds the emotional support she has not been given by James or Melanie. She is reassured by Michael’s decision to testify for the defense, certain that this will work in Chris’s favor. At times, Gus feels guilty for the time she spends with Michael, which she feels the need to keep secret.

Gus’s strong nature is apparent in her defense of Chris. From the night of Emily’s death, Gus makes Chris her top priority and life’s focus. She never wavers in her certainty that Chris did not harm Emily. Though she attempts to bend over backward to demonstrate her belief in him, Chris grows frustrated by her overbearing approach to his predicament. He often resents the way Gus insists that she understands what he is feeling and how the experience of being imprisoned impacts him.

Jumping to false empathy is one of Gus’s flaws. When Chris confesses that he did indeed fire the gun that killed Emily, Gus is stunned. She faces the difficulty of defending her son while knowing that he is not entirely blameless in Emily’s death. Further, her daughter, Kate, resents the way Gus repeatedly places Chris’s interests first. Though admirable on many levels, Gus’s devotion to Chris is problematic. This is best exemplified when she insists—when testifying—that Chris did not harm Emily, despite what Chris has confessed to her. She is painted as a complex though sympathetic character, as her actions are motivated by protecting Chris.

In the end, Gus and James appear to reconcile, and Chris’s exoneration suggests that the family unit will remain intact.

Chris’s father is a confident and successful ophthalmologist who takes pride in his career. He is driven and focused and relishes the accolades he receives from peers in his field. He and Gus, though filled with passion for one another, often conflict. For example, their disagreement over James’s handling of the death of the dog, Charlie, is so polarizing it leads Gus to temporarily move into the Golds’ home. This foreshadows their differing approaches to Chris’s situation: Gus places Chris at the center of her life, making him her first priority. James, on the other hand, continues with his work while Chris is hospitalized, frequently insisting that life must proceed as normal. He avoids speaking directly of Chris’s indictment, as if ignoring it will cause the problem to go away or somehow resolve itself. This coping mechanism drives James and Gus further apart.

Likewise, Chris expresses frustration with James’s inability to confront Chris’s situation and refuses to allow James to visit him. Chris alludes to pressures placed on him by James to be a top performer and to be “perfect,” and he fears disappointing his father. As Chris slowly conveys this, James seems to soften, admitting that he has been wrong to withhold his support for Chris. By the end of the novel, James’s character has shifted in a positive direction; he shows signs of sympathy for Chris’s situation and offers emotional support to Gus.

Emily’s mother is certain that Emily’s death was not a suicide and remains firm in this position throughout the novel. Her love for Emily is unmistakable, and she supports Emily’s goals and passions, encouraging Emily to pursue art after high school. While relatively little of the novel is presented from her point of view, Melanie is frequently depicted as completely bereft; she is numb with grief in a way that makes her a shell of a person. She is unable to reach out to other people, shutting herself off completely. She wordlessly allows Michael to tend to the funeral details, then spends the post-funeral reception in her bedroom away from the guests. At other times, Melanie’s grief causes her to behave cruelly. Some of these incidents are rather harmless, as when she purposely points patrons to the wrong sections of the library, but other actions are vindictive and punishing. For instance, she attempts to use sex to manipulate Michael when she learns that he plans to testify for the defense. Likewise, Melanie’s destruction of Emily’s diary is a deliberate attempt to hide any evidence that might help Chris.

Prior to Emily’s death, Melanie and Gus are close friends—it is their bond that draws the two families together. Melanie, however, refuses to speak to or engage with Gus after Emily’s death; she views her as a proxy for Chris, whom Melanie is certain has taken Emily’s life.

The Epilogue suggests that the damage to their friendship is irreparable. Similarly, the events of the plot have driven a wedge between Melanie and Michael. She refuses to open up to him about her feelings or share her grief with him. As the novel progresses, the couple grows increasingly distant. When they move from the house next to the Hartes, rumors follow that the couple continues to sleep apart. The transition Melanie’s character undergoes is toward despair and hopelessness, with no hints that she will soon heal from Emily’s death.