PLAIN TRUTH

• About the book
• Book club discussion questions
• Reviews
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About the book

Book club discussion questions

1. What character has the most to learn during the course of this novel? Why?
2. In what ways does immersing herself in Amish culture alter Ellie's perception of the case? Of Katie?
3. Does the American legal system have the right to govern a group that lives separate from American society?
4. To what extent is Katie responsible for what happens to the infant?
5. What role does Hannah's ghost play in forming Katie's actions? Sarah's?
6. Jacob Fisher and Leda are two characters who bridge diverse worlds in this novel. Are they successful? Explain.
7. Do the actions of the men in this book aid or detract from the growth of the female characters? Explain.
8. Was Aaron Fisher justified in cutting Jacob out of the family?
9. The Amish base much on the concept of Gelassenheit, or humility, and putting others before yourself. What examples support this? In what places in the book does this not happen, and how does it affect the society?
10. Forgiveness is a basic tenet in the Amish faith. Which Amish character in this book forgives the most? Who is the most unyielding?
11. What about the Amish culture is similar to “English” culture? What is the most different?
12. Is the verdict a fair one, in your opinion?
13. Why would an Amish person accept a punishment without having committed a crime?
14. What do you think would have happened if the baby had lived?
15. In your opinion, what occurs after the last page is turned-- to the Fishers, to Katie, to Ellie?
16. What do you think Ellie will do with the information she learns from Sarah at the end of the book?
17. Why do we care so much about Katie Fisher? How does her specific situation come to touch upon universal issues like community estrangement and forbidden love?
18. What kind of a man is Aaron Fisher? As you were reading, what were your reactions to his choices? If you had to, could you make a case for defending his code of life, his propensity to put the community above the individual?
19. "You know how a mother would do anything, if it meant saving her child," Sarah tells Ellie. And earlier on, referring to her ability to butcher chickens with remorse, Sarah says to Ellie, "I do what I have to do. You of all people should understand." What is Picoult up to here? Why should Ellie in particular understand this?
20. "We all have things that come back to haunt us," Adam Sinclair tells Katie at one point. "Some of us just see them more clearly than others." Discuss the ways in which the ghosts of the past come to haunt the present action in PLAIN TRUTH. Of all the book's characters, who comes to "see" things most clearly? Ellie? Jacob? Sarah? Explain.
21. What kind of future do you see for Ellie and Coop? For Katie and Samuel? Jacob and his Plain heritage?
22. Discuss the significance behind the title. Is "PLAIN TRUTH" a different sort of truth than "PLAIN TRUTH"?

Reviews

'A new author over here with around 9 titles behind her in the US. She is quite a find, in Anita Shreve territory, an author tackling gritty problems. This involves the supposed murder of a premature baby in an Amish community, and was give high marks by my reader. But I'm told better is to come. Hodder is launching her quietly now, hoping for word-of-mouth support and will splash out with a big campaign for the next in Spring 2005. So watch out, she's worth supporting'

'Jodi Picoult's two UK debut titles are thought-provoking, fascinating and tense. PLAIN TRUTH features hard-bitten Ellie Hathaway, a city attorney whose belief are challenged when she defends an Amish teenage mother accused of murdering her baby. Picoult's choice of subject matter is causing a stir in the press, and she is guaranteed to become a bestseller'

'Speaking of Anne Tyler, Hodder's recent US acquisition Jodi Picoult seems to be aimed at a similar market. PLAIN TRUTH is the second novel I've read by this author and it was highly enjoyable. A young lawyer attempts to defend an Amish teenager who denies murdering her newborn son, despite compelling evidence to the contrary. The characterisation is perhaps less complex than in Tyler's novels, but Picout has an eye for detail and is a dab hand with plot twists'

'Reads like a cross between the Harrison Ford movie WITNESS and Scott Turow's novel PRESUMED INNOCENT'

'A suspenseful, richly layered drama, Picoult's novel never looses its grip'

'Absorbing and affecting'

'Elegant, flowing prose - totally addictive and gripping'

'It's fabulously written - the reader gets great insight into the Amish way of life. A great holiday read'

'This is a gripping and entertaining story, a combination of murder mystery and courtroom drama... a solid story, with several layers and a fascinating setting... in Picoult's handling, the Amish community and way of life achieves a sympathetic reality'

'Picoult's characters leap off the page, and her plot building is crisp, which results in a most enjoyable read. Pack it into your beach bag right away!'

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