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    Leaving Time

    by Picoult, Jodi
    “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult is a gripping novel that intertwines mystery, grief, and the bond between humans and elephants. The story follows Jenna Metcalf, a 13-year-old girl searching for her mother, Alice, a renowned elephant researcher who disappeared a decade earlier under mysterious circumstances. With the help of a skeptical psychic and a disgraced detective, Jenna uncovers buried secrets about her mother’s work and the tragic events at an elephant sanctuary. The novel explores themes of memory, loss, and maternal love, while weaving in fascinating insights into elephant behavior and emotions. Picoult blends emotional depth with suspense, culminating in a surprising twist that redefines the narrative.

    Leav­ing Time (2014) by ​Jodi Picoult​ is a ​mys­tery-dri­ven dra­ma​ blend­ing ​grief, mem­o­ry, and the super­nat­ur­al. The sto­ry fol­lows ​13-year-old Jen­na Met­calf, who has spent a decade search­ing for her miss­ing moth­er, ​Alice, a sci­en­tist study­ing ele­phant grief. After her mother’s mys­te­ri­ous dis­ap­pear­ance from an ele­phant sanctuary—following a trag­ic acci­dent involv­ing an ele­phant and Jenna’s father—Jenna hires ​a dis­graced psy­chic​ and ​a retired detec­tive​ to uncov­er the truth.

    The nov­el alter­nates between ​Jenna’s present-day inves­ti­ga­tion​ and ​Alice’s past research notes, reveal­ing eerie par­al­lels between ele­phant mourn­ing rit­u­als and human emo­tions. As Jen­na gets clos­er to the truth, she must con­front painful secrets about her family—and the pos­si­bil­i­ty that her mother’s dis­ap­pear­ance was no acci­dent.

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    Author

    • Picoult, Jodi

    Author Introduction

    • Jodi Picoult, acclaimed bestselling author, explores grief and memory in Leaving Time. Known for her thought-provoking narratives, Picoult has penned over 25 novels, addressing complex social issues with depth and empathy. A literary force in contemporary fiction. (149 chars)

    Description

    • “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult is a gripping novel that intertwines mystery, grief, and the bond between humans and elephants. The story follows Jenna Metcalf, a 13-year-old girl searching for her mother, Alice, a renowned elephant researcher who disappeared a decade earlier under mysterious circumstances. With the help of a skeptical psychic and a disgraced detective, Jenna uncovers buried secrets about her mother’s work and the tragic events at an elephant sanctuary. The novel explores themes of memory, loss, and maternal love, while weaving in fascinating insights into elephant behavior and emotions. Picoult blends emotional depth with suspense, culminating in a surprising twist that redefines the narrative.

    FAQs

    • What is Leaving Time about?
    • • Leaving Time is a novel by Jodi Picoult that blends mystery, family drama, and emotional storytelling. It follows Jenna Metcalf, a young girl searching for her missing mother, Alice, a scientist who studied elephant grief. The story weaves together human and elephant emotions, exploring themes of love, loss, and memory.
    • Is Leaving Time based on real events?
    • • While the novel is fictional, Jodi Picoult incorporates real scientific research on elephant behavior, particularly their capacity for grief and memory. The emotional parallels between humans and elephants add depth to the story.
    • What genre does Leaving Time fall into?
    • • The book is a mix of contemporary fiction, mystery, and drama. It also includes elements of psychological exploration, making it appealing to readers who enjoy emotionally layered narratives.
    • Does Leaving Time have a twist ending?
    • • Like many of Jodi Picoult’s novels, Leaving Time features unexpected revelations and a thought-provoking conclusion. Readers often praise the book for its surprising and poignant resolution.
    • Who would enjoy reading Leaving Time?
    • • Fans of Jodi Picoult’s other works, as well as readers who appreciate emotionally driven stories with mystery and scientific undertones, will likely enjoy this book. It’s also a great pick for those interested in animal behavior and human-animal connections.
    • Is Leaving Time part of a series?
    • • No, Leaving Time is a standalone novel. However, Jodi Picoult has written numerous other books that explore similar themes of family, justice, and moral dilemmas.

    Quotes

    • “Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    • “Elephants never forget. But humans? We forget all the time—especially the things we wish we could remember forever.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    • “The truth isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes it’s a maze, and you have to wander through the dark to find your way out.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    • “A mother’s love leaves an imprint on your soul, even when she’s no longer there to hold your hand.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    • “Sometimes the people who are hardest to find are the ones who never really left.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    • “Memory is a tricky thing. It can be a sanctuary or a prison, depending on which doors you choose to open.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    • “We spend our lives searching for answers, only to realize the questions were what mattered all along.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time
    1. Chapter 1: Jenna
      2,588 Words
    2. Chapter 2: Alice
      2,053 Words
    3. Chapter 3: Serenity
      2,192 Words
    4. Chapter 4: Alice
      2,236 Words
    5. Chapter 5: Jenna
      2,182 Words
    7. Chapter 6: Alice
      2,264 Words
    8. Chapter 7: Virgil
      2,255 Words
    9. Chapter 8: Alice
      2,678 Words
    10. Chapter 9: Jenna
      2,437 Words
    11. Chapter 10: Alice
      2,342 Words
    12. Chapter 11: Serenity
      2,021 Words
    13. Chapter 12: Alice
      2,267 Words
    14. Chapter 13: Jenna
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    15. Chapter 14: Alice
      2,015 Words
    16. Chapter 15: Serenity
      2,474 Words
    17. Chapter 16: Alice
      2,332 Words
    18. Chapter 17: Jenna
      2,173 Words
    19. Chapter 18: Alice
      2,609 Words
    20. Chapter 19: Virgil
      2,002 Words
    21. Chapter 20: Alice
      2,598 Words
    22. Chapter 21: Jenna
      2,250 Words
    23. Chapter 22: Alice
      1,981 Words
    24. Chapter 23: Serenity
      2,508 Words
    25. Chapter 24: Alice
      2,308 Words
    26. Chapter 25: Virgil
      1,864 Words
    27. Chapter 26: Alice
      2,087 Words
    28. Chapter 27: Jenna
      2,094 Words
    29. Chapter 28: Alice
      2,182 Words
    30. Chapter 29: Serenity
      2,333 Words
    31. Chapter 30: Alice
      1,960 Words
    32. Chapter 31: Jenna
      2,265 Words
    33. Chapter 32: Alice
      2,118 Words
    34. Chapter 33: Virgil
      2,111 Words
    35. Chapter 34: Alice
      2,234 Words
    36. Chapter 35: Serenity
      2,265 Words
    37. Chapter 36: Alice
      2,234 Words
    38. Chapter 37: Jenna
      2,160 Words
    39. Chapter 38: Alice
      2,370 Words
    40. Chapter 39: Virgil
      2,389 Words
    41. Chapter 40: Alice
      2,050 Words
    42. Chapter 41: Serenity
      2,437 Words
    43. Chapter 42: Alice
      1,790 Words
    44. Chapter 43: Jenna
      1,826 Words
    1. Plain Truth: A Novel: Plain Truth (2000) by ​Jodi Picoult​ is a ​legal dra­ma​ inter­twined with ​cul­tur­al con­flict and moral dilem­mas. The sto­ry begins…
    2. Leaving Time: Leav­ing Time (2014) by ​Jodi Picoult​ is a ​mys­tery-dri­ven dra­ma​ blend­ing ​grief, mem­o­ry, and the super­nat­ur­al. The sto­ry…
    3. Mad Honey: Mad Hon­ey (2022) by ​Jodi Picoult​ and ​Jen­nifer Finney Boy­lan​ is a ​mul­ti-lay­ered nov­el​ blend­ing ​mys­tery, court­room…
    4. Small Great Things: Small Great Things by ​Jodi Picoult​ (2016) is a grip­ping nov­el that explores ​racism, priv­i­lege, and jus­tice​ in mod­ern Amer­i­ca.…
    5. My Sister’s Keeper: Anna Fitzger­ald is an 11-year-old girl who was ​genet­i­cal­ly engi­neered​ to be a per­fect med­ical match for her old­er sis­ter, Kate, who…
    6. Allegiant: “The fac­tion-based soci­ety has col­lapsed into chaos, and Tris Pri­or must ven­ture beyond the walls of Chica­go to uncov­er the shock­ing truth…
    7. Roth, Veronica — Divergent 01 — Divergent: “In Beat­rice Pri­or’s dystopi­an Chica­go, soci­ety is divid­ed into five fac­tions, each ded­i­cat­ed to the cul­ti­va­tion of a…
    8. Four: A Divergent Collection: “Fans of the Diver­gent series will devour this col­lec­tion of four pre­quel sto­ries told from Tobias Eaton’s (Four) per­spec­tive. Dis­cov­er…
    9. Insurgent: “One choice can trans­form you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has con­se­quences, and as unrest surges in the fac­tions all around her, Tris…
    10. Mistborn: The Final Empire: “Mist­born: The Final Empire” is the first book in Bran­don Sanderson’s acclaimed fan­ta­sy tril­o­gy. Set in a dystopi­an world where ash falls…
    Ongoing July 4, 2025Jul 4, '25 96.4 K Everyone

    Quotes

    “Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    “Elephants never forget. But humans? We forget all the time—especially the things we wish we could remember forever.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    “The truth isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes it’s a maze, and you have to wander through the dark to find your way out.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    “A mother’s love leaves an imprint on your soul, even when she’s no longer there to hold your hand.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    “Sometimes the people who are hardest to find are the ones who never really left.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    “Memory is a tricky thing. It can be a sanctuary or a prison, depending on which doors you choose to open.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    “We spend our lives searching for answers, only to realize the questions were what mattered all along.” — Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

    FAQs

    What is Leaving Time about?

    • Leaving Time is a novel by Jodi Picoult that blends mystery, family drama, and emotional storytelling. It follows Jenna Metcalf, a young girl searching for her missing mother, Alice, a scientist who studied elephant grief. The story weaves together human and elephant emotions, exploring themes of love, loss, and memory.

    • While the novel is fictional, Jodi Picoult incorporates real scientific research on elephant behavior, particularly their capacity for grief and memory. The emotional parallels between humans and elephants add depth to the story.

    What genre does Leaving Time fall into?

    Does Leaving Time have a twist ending?

    • Like many of Jodi Picoult’s novels, Leaving Time features unexpected revelations and a thought-provoking conclusion. Readers often praise the book for its surprising and poignant resolution.

    • Fans of Jodi Picoult’s other works, as well as readers who appreciate emotionally driven stories with mystery and scientific undertones, will likely enjoy this book. It’s also a great pick for those interested in animal behavior and human-animal connections.

    Is Leaving Time part of a series?

    Note