Grafton Public Library

Book Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

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Leaving Time, by Jodi Picoult, tells the story of Jenna Metcalf, a young teen who is desperately searching for her mother, Alice. Alice disappeared ten years earlier, after a tragic accident at the elephant compound, where she was a scientist studying grief among elephants. Not wanting to believe she was abandoned, Jenna searches the internet and reads her mother’s journal, looking for any information that would help her find her mother, or explain her disappearance. Having no luck on her own, Jenna turns for help to Serenity Jones, a once famous psychic, and Virgil Stanhope, a private detective and ex-cop, who was in involved in the investigation of the incident at the compound. The unlikely trio begin their search, leading them to discover the events leading up to Alice’s disappearance and the surprising truths they discover about Alice, and about themselves.

This book offered a lot of interesting information about the emotional intelligence of elephants, the dynamics of the relationships they have with one another, and the surprising amount of grief they experience when they lose a member of their group. This is especially evident with the loss of a young calf by its mother, and parallels these emotions with those of the human characters in the story.

Jodi Picoult is once again able to draw you into the complex lives, feelings and emotions of her characters in a new and unique way, while offering a surprising twist at the conclusion of the story.

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