Kat with a K

Review: Salem Falls

Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Literature
Pages: 434
Rating: 4.3

I loved Picoult's Plain Truth, so every once in a while, I read another of her novels, hoping to recapture the magic. It hasn't worked so far, although I did like Salem Falls better than My Sister's Keeper. Salem Falls is about what happens after a man falsely convicted of statutory rape finishes his prison sentence and tries to start a new life. Unsurprisingly, his past catches up with him and he becomes accused again. Picoult creates several interesting characters in this book, as well as several one-dimensional placeholders. The story quickly drew me in, but (as with My Sister's Keeper) the ending was unsatisfactory. Specifically, something major was revealed - maybe - on the very last page, but it was written in such a way that I couldn't tell whether it was deliberately left ambivalent or just unclear. I'll probably keep reading Picoult when the mood strikes, but I hope this "dumb ending" thing isn't a trend.