Leaving Time

Echoes of a Mother’s Disappearance

Ten years ago, Alice Metcalf vanished without a trace from the grounds of Serengeti Wildlife Reserve, leaving her young son, Theo, and her husband, Serenity Park investigator Richard Metcalf, shattered by uncertainty. In Leaving Time, Jodi Picoult spins an enthralling tapestry of grief and hope as twelve-year-old Jenna Metcalf enlists the help of disgraced detective Virgil Stanhope and psychic companion Serenity’s elephant behaviorist, Serenity Jones, to unravel the mystery of her mother’s fate. Picoult’s richly textured prose evokes the haunting stillness of elephant herds at dusk, the hush of forensic labs, and the fragile rhythms of memory that pulse beneath every shared glance.

Searching the Depths of Memory

As Virgil retraces the case files and Serenity deciphers elephants’ mournful gestures, Jenna confronts the possibility that her mother’s disappearance was more than a tragic accident. Through alternating perspectives—Jenna’s steely determination, Virgil’s struggle to reclaim his reputation, and Serenity’s unwavering bond with her pachyderm protégés—Leaving Time delves into the intricate connections between humans and the natural world. Each interview, from grieving park rangers to traumatized witnesses, peels back another layer of secrecy, forcing the characters to grapple with guilt, betrayal, and the enduring power of love to transcend loss.

Confronting the Past Beneath the Baobabs

In a heart-stopping climax set beneath the ancient baobab trees where Alice last walked, Jenna, Virgil, and Serenity must unite their strengths—rational inquiry, psychic intuition, and elephant memory—to face a truth more shocking than any of them imagined. As the final pieces click into place, Picoult’s narrative soars beyond conventional mystery, offering a moving meditation on forgiveness, resilience, and the ties that bind us across species and generations. Leaving Time is a masterful exploration of how the past, like the wild, refuses to remain silent.

.Jodi Picoult is a bestselling author renowned for her emotionally resonant novels that probe complex moral dilemmas and the kaleidoscope of human relationships, captivating millions of readers worldwide.