Picoult always delivers a great story with characters exposing deep emotional levels

When I saw that Jodi Picoult’s “Leaving Time” was available through the library’s digital collection, I downloaded it. It is presented in the voices of the four main characters and moves between the past and present.

Jenna Metcalf is a very bright 13-year-old girl. She lives with her maternal grandmother, goes to school, babysits for extra cash and lives a fairly normal life — except for one important detail. Ten years ago, Jenna’s mother disappeared from her life, and the girl has become obsessed with finding her.

The story then switches to Alice Metcalf, Jenna’s mother. Alice has dedicated her life to the study of elephant emotions. Alice met Thomas Metcalf when he visited the study station in Africa. By the time he left, Alice was pregnant. She traveled to New Hampshire where Thomas has established an elephant rescue sanctuary. She falls in love with the animals, marries Thomas and transfers her studies to the rescued elephants. The staff includes a married couple, Grace and Gideon, and Grace’s mother, Nevvie.

All work together caring for the elephants and baby Jenna. Alice recounts life at the sanctuary including the constant financial woes, personal tensions and the first chinks in Thomas’ emotional stability. Eventually we learn that by the time Jenna was 3, Grace had committed suicide, and the Metcalf marriage was on the rocks.

We then jump to a night when the police are called to the sanctuary to investigate a death. Virgil Stanhope was new to the force, so he had to ignore his instincts and do what his senior partner told him to do. Gideon identified the dead woman as his mother-in-law, Nevvie. She had been trampled by an elephant. When no one could find Alice or Jenna, Virgil follows a hunch and finds Alice in the high grass. She is bloody and unconscious.

Some time during the night she regains consciousness, checks herself out and disappears. The death is ruled accidental, and the case is closed. No one reported Alice Metcalf missing, but her disappearance tormented Virgil Stanhope.

The story then jumps to Jenna’s quest to find Alice. She tracks down Stanhope and “bullies” him into helping her search. Later, she contacts Serenity Jones. Serenity was born into a family of psychics and had made a name for herself helping find missing persons. Her life fell apart when she told a senator and his wife that their son would be found alive. He was found, but the child was dead. Now Serenity squeaks by doing fake readings, and she doesn’t want to help Jenna find her mother. Yet she feels compelled to do what she can for the girl.

Soon Serenity, Virgil and Jenna are combing through old evidence, digging into memories and revisiting the sight of Nevvie’s death. As the story moves between characters, we see a tragedy building to an inevitable conclusion. Serenity firmly believes that those who have passed on have the ability to communicate with the living, while Virgil insists that it is all a scam. Jenna steadfastly believes that between the two, she’ll find out why her mother left her and never returned.

As the story runs its course, it becomes obvious that there is more to this and the next world than meets the eye. I won’t spoil the wonderfully imaginative ending for you, but I will say that Jenna finally receives the answers she needs, and Serenity finds peace.

Jodi Picoult has a unique gift for delving into the deepest emotional levels of humans and animals.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that what you see or hear is all there is to life. Keep your mind open to what might be. Your public library can give you direction on what to read. Take a few minutes today and check it out.

AT A GLANCE

BOOK: “Leaving Time”

AUTHOR: Jodi Picoult

PUBLISHER: Ballantine Books

PUBLISHED: Oct. 14, 2014

PAGES: 416

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