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''Salem Falls'' (2001) is the eighth novel by the American author
Jodi Picoult Jodi Lynn Picoult () is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels, accompanying short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 ...
. The novel explores what happens to a person when he is given a label and is not allowed to escape from it.


Plot summary

Jack is a highly educated high school teacher at a private school for girls in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. However, he is falsely accused of committing statutory rape with one of his students. Following his lawyer's advice, he accepts a plea bargain for a lesser charge and is sentenced to eight months in prison. Jack's mother refuses to believe his claims of innocence and abandons him. After serving his sentence, Jack wants to have a fresh start, which he finds when he wanders into a diner in Salem Falls,
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. Without disclosing his past, he is hired as a dishwasher. He begins a romantic relationship with Addie Peabody, the woman who operates the diner with her father, Roy. At the time, she is still mourning the death of her young daughter, Chloe, who died from
bacterial meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...
at age six. Under law, he is required to register with the local police as a convicted
sex offender A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crime ...
. As this is public record, the entire town becomes aware of his past. However, Addie does not change her attitude toward him. Simultaneously, the novel focuses on local teenage girls who experiment with
Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...
: disturbed Gillian, the daughter of Amos Duncan a prominent businessman; Chelsea; Whitney; and Meg. One night, after a fight with Addie, Jack accidentally stumbles upon them in the woods while they are celebrating the Wiccan holiday of
Beltane Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking the ...
. He is accused of sexually assaulting Gillian. Due to his intoxicated state at the time, he is unable to recall exactly where he was that night. Jack is defended by attorney Jordan McAfee. Throughout the trial, Jordan casts reasonable doubt on Gillian's testimony. However, Meg confides in Addie that she remembers Jack touching her in a sexual manner. Addie takes Meg to report the incident to policeman Charlie, who is Meg's father. Clues begin to unravel that Gillian has been lying about the assault. Sources allege that she and her clique were taking
hallucinogenic drugs Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...
. The initial blood screening test Gillian takes show no evidence of drugs. Jordan hires a private toxicologist to run tests on the blood samples, which reveal extreme amounts of a hallucinogen. Gillian's psychiatric records note that she was known to be a compulsive liar after the death of her mother. Chelsea, feeling a sense of conscience, mails "The Book of Shadows" (a witch's handbook and proof that the teenagers are part of a witch's coven) to Thomas, Jordan's son, who takes it to Jordan. Jordan uses the book as evidence against Gillian and Jack is found not guilty. After the trial, Meg tells her father that Gillian convinced the teenagers to fabricate everything as a game to see if they could ruin Jack's life because Gillian was attracted to him and he turned her down. Meg's report of Jack having touched her is found to be accidental, as Jack was saving Meg from a fall and accidentally touched her breast. Addie tells Jack that she was gang-raped at sixteen by Charlie and Amos. As such, she never knew who Chloe's father was. Jack asks Addie to move with him to New York in an effort to reconcile with his mother. Addie agrees. The final twist is saved for the last paragraph: Amos has been sexually abusing Gillian since she was a young child, and it is likely that the seminal fluid found on Gillian's thigh is his, not Jack's.


Characters

* Jack St. Bride: Protagonist, a former star athlete and high school history teacher who is accused and convicted of statutory rape. He is an avid watcher of ''
Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...
''. * Addie Peabody: Owns and operates the diner in Salem Falls, along with her father, Roy. She was raped and became pregnant in her teenage years. Her daughter, Chloe, died early in childhood. * Roy Peabody: Addie's father who co-owns and operates the diner. * Gillian Duncan: A teenage girl living in Salem Falls who is attracted to Jack; she is Amos's daughter. * Amos Duncan: Gillian's father and owner of the largest pharmaceutical company in Salem Falls. He and Addie went to school together. * Jordan McAfee: Jack's defense attorney. Jordan, his son Thomas McAfee, and his assistant Selena Damascus appear in other Jodi Picoult novels, ''The Pact'', ''
Nineteen Minutes ''Nineteen Minutes'' (2007) is the fourteenth novel by the American author, Jodi Picoult. It was Picoult's first book to debut at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. This novel follows the unfolding of a school shooting, including the eve ...
'', and ''Mad Honey''.


Film adaptation

The film debuted November 19, 2011 on
Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...
. Filming started August 10, 2011, according to Picoult. The film stars
James Van Der Beek James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of hi ...
,
Sarah Carter Sarah Sanguin Carter (born October 30, 1980) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her recurring role as Alicia Baker in the superhero series ''Smallville'' (2004–2005), Madeleine Poe in ''Shark'' (2006–2008), and main role as ...
, and
Amanda Michalka Amanda Joy Michalka ( ; born April 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, record producer and voice actress who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka. She h ...
. Some scenes from the film were shot in and around the town of Fergus in
Centre Wellington Centre Wellington is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, located in Wellington County. The primary communities are Elora and Fergus. The area is agricultural but also includes industries such as manufacturing. In the Canada 2016 Cens ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.


References


External links


''Salem Falls'' entry on official Jodi Picoult website
{{Jodi Picoult 2001 American novels American crime novels American novels adapted into films Novels about ephebophilia Novels by Jodi Picoult Novels set in New Hampshire Novels about rape American novels adapted into television shows Novels about child sexual abuse