'Salem's Lot

’Salem’s Lot (1975) is the second published novel by Stephen King, his first being Carrie (1974). The book won the Locus Award for best fantasy and was adapted as a television miniseries in 1979 and 2004. It also inspired a movie sequel, A Return to Salem’s Lot.

King wrote ’Salem’s Lot after being inspired when teaching the novel Dracula in a college course. Originally titled Second Coming, ’Salem’s Lot places a similar tale in a rural Maine town. He later explored related themes in the short stories “Jerusalem’s Lot” and “One for the Road” in his collection Night Shift, published in 1979. Other works by King include The Running Man, Gerald’s Game, and Elevation.

Content Warning: The novel contains scenes of child abuse and references to sexual assault.

Page numbers correspond to the trade paperback edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

Successful author Ben Mears is returning to the town of Jerusalem’s Lot, where he spent a memorable four years of his childhood. His wife recently died, and, feeling set adrift, Ben returns to the only place he ever really thought of as home, hoping to grapple with his sense of grief and mortality.