The Summer Pact

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and substance use.

The Summer Pact opens with Hannah questioning what makes friendships so powerful—in particular, those friendships formed in the young adult years. Over the course of the novel, the narrative offers answers to that question and goes on to examine the mechanics that help friendships endure even as life circumstances change and people mature.

In the opening lines of the Prologue, Hannah’s musings establish this theme as an important element of the novel. She posits several theories about coming-of-age friendships, reflecting that they “fill the void of adolescent loneliness […] they give us a sense of belonging […] [and] they shape our adult identities” (3). Hannah’s own experience establishes the truth of the first two in her mind, as she has chosen not to pledge a sorority but instead cherishes the foursome she has with Tyson, Lainey, and Summer. The matter of early friendships shaping one adult’s identity is more complex, but all three of the protagonists show how their friendship with Summer—and losing Summer—has impacted them. Summer’s death is the catalyst for the Summer Pact, in which each of the three surviving friends has agreed to make their loyalty to and support of the others a priority in their lives, to the point that they are willing to honor that friendship over job commitments, other interests, and other, even romantic relationships.