Title: THE MARRIAGE PACT
Author: Michelle Richmond
Narrator: Tom Taylorson
ISBN: 9780804179867
Publisher: Bantam Books
Duration: 13 hours 7 minutes
Pages: 423
Source: Audible
Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.
The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact, and most of its rules make sense: Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . .
Never mention The Pact to anyone.
Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples–and then one of them breaks the rules. The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life, and The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule. For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.
Official Summary
17 July 2024
This is my second audiobook review for the week and another ‘new-to-me” author. I was intrigued by this book’s blurb and couldn’t wait to start it. “The Marriage Pact” offers a thrilling dive into the intricacies of relationships and the dark side of commitment, brilliantly narrated in the audiobook version.
As newlyweds, Alice and Jake, navigate their way through the seemingly idyllic yet increasingly sinister world of The Pact, the tension and suspense are evident, making this a gripping listen from start to finish. Alice and Jake are an enviable couple. Alice, transitioning from a rock star to a successful lawyer, and Jake, a partner in a growing psychology practice, seem to have it all.
Their decision to join The Pact, a mysterious and exclusive group promising to preserve the sanctity of marriage, appears to be the perfect step towards a blissful future. The initial allure of The Pact, with its glamorous parties and a supportive community of like-minded couples, is captivating. The rules, on the surface, are designed to strengthen their bond: always answering calls from one’s spouse, exchanging thoughtful monthly gifts, and planning quarterly trips together. However, the underlying directive to never discuss The Pact with outsiders casts an ominous shadow.
The audiobook format of “The Marriage Pact” amplifies the sense of foreboding as Jake and Alice’s story unfolds. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, capturing the tones of their emotions and the growing unease as they realize the true nature of The Pact. The pacing of the narration is impeccable, keeping you engaged and on edge as the couple faces increasingly severe consequences for their transgressions.
Richmond’s exploration of control and autonomy within relationships is thought-provoking. The Pact, initially seeming like a well-intentioned organization, reveals itself to be a controlling entity that enforces its rules with disturbing zeal. The psychological depth of the characters, particularly Jake’s perspective, is masterfully conveyed through the audiobook’s performance, highlighting the internal conflicts and the external pressures they face.
This is a compelling audiobook that delves into the darker aspects of marital commitment and societal expectations. Michelle Richmond’s storytelling, combined with the excellent narration, makes this a must-listen for fans of psychological thrillers and suspense. It’s a chilling reminder that the pursuit of perfection in relationships can sometimes lead to unexpected and terrifying consequences.
Also by Michelle Richmond
NO ONE YOU KNOW
All her life Ellie Enderlin had been known as Lila’s sister. Until one day, without warning, the shape of their family changed forever. Twenty years ago, Lila, a top math student at Stanford, was murdered in a crime that was never solved. In the aftermath of her sister’s death, Ellie entrusted her most intimate feelings to a man who turned the story into a bestselling true crime book—a book that both devastated her family and identified one of Lila’s professors as the killer.
Decades later, two Americans meet in a remote village in Nicaragua. Ellie is now a professional coffee buyer, an inveterate traveller and incapable of trust. Peter is a ruined academic. And their meeting is not by chance. As rain beats down on the steaming rooftops of the village, Peter leaves Ellie with a gift—the notebook that Lila carried everywhere, a piece of evidence not found with her body. Stunned, Ellie will return home to San Francisco to explore the mysteries of Lila’s notebook, filled with mathematical equations, and begin a search that has been waiting for her all these years. It will lead her to a hundred-year-old mathematical puzzle, to a lover no one knew Lila had, to the motives and fate of the man who profited from their family’s anguish—and to the deepest secrets even sisters keep from each other. As she connects with people whose lives unknowingly swirled around her own, Ellie will confront a series of startling revelations—from the eloquent truths of numbers to confessions of love, pain and loss.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Michelle Richmond is the New Your Times bestselling author of six novels and two award-winning story collections. Her latest novel, The Wonder Test, is “a sharply written, subtly satirical thriller” (Booklist, starred review) set in Silicon Valley. Michell’s previous books included the 2017 Sunday Times bestseller The Marriage Pact, which was published in 30 languages. Golden State, the critically acclaimed novel that imagines modern-day California on the brink of secession from the United States, the international bestseller The Year of Fog, and the story collection Hum, winner of the Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize. Her novels are set in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the Deep South. Her stories and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Glimmer Train, Playboy, Oxford American, Boulevard and elsewhere.
Michaelle Richmond was born and raised in Alabama and made her home with her husband and son in Northern California. She is the recipient of the Truman Capote Prize for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Short Story, the Hall-Waters Prize for significant contributions to Southern literature and the Grace Paley Prize for fiction. She is currently at work on a memoir of her expat years in Paris, which happened to collide with the longest transit strike in half a century, 18 months of yellow vest protests and the pandemic.
I’m having a lot of fun adding new authors to my TBR list. It’s refreshing to break away from my comfort zone, where I was always reading the same handful of writers. Of course, I haven’t stopped adding my favourites to the pile. It’s fantastic to discover how many brilliant authors are out there that I haven’t read yet. Who is your favourite “new-to-you” author at the moment? Leave a comment below, and I’ll try to add them to my TBR. As always, thank you for visiting and reading my review. Until next time… Happy Reading!
