What are the motifs in Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult?

Truth is a recurring idea in the story. The absence of truth can cause many problems, something that is evidenced throughout the novel. The main storyline concerns Gillian Duncan's accusation that Jack raped her, and many characters, including Jordan McAfee, Selena Damascus, and Addie Peabody are determined to find out the true events of that night and determine what kind of man Jack St. Bride truly is. Gillian is eventually shown to be lying about the events of that night. We can see through her discussions with her friends that she may have hallucinated what happened, but the differences in their stories show that she wasn't raped. Gillian seems to realize this, and she wants to punish Jack for having the will to resist her. She accomplishes this by lying, and once again Jack learns the power a lie can have over his life.