Leaving Time
“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.
Chapter 23: Serenity
byPicoult, Jodi
The chapter “Serenity” delves into the narrator’s struggles as a psychic who has lost the ability to communicate with spirits. She recounts a past session where she failed to connect with a deceased basketball coach, only to later learn from his wife that he had committed suicide after a scandal involving an affair and blackmail. The wife’s bitter rejection at his funeral seemingly prevented him from communicating during the reading, a revelation that underscores the idea that spirit communication requires willingness from both parties. This experience mirrors the narrator’s current inability to connect with the dead, a fact she hides from her companions, Virgil and Jenna.
The narrative shifts to the present, where Virgil pressures the narrator to use her psychic abilities to uncover the truth about Grace Cartwright’s suicide. Despite her reluctance, she attempts to contact Grace but fails, attributing it to the possibility that Grace, like the basketball coach, is too ashamed or unwilling to communicate. The narrator internally debates whether her inability stems from the spirits’ reluctance or her own lost abilities, a tension that highlights her self-doubt and the complexities of her gift. Virgil’s skepticism and her own frustration create a charged dynamic as they grapple with unanswered questions.
Virgil’s theory that Grace’s suicide might conceal a darker truth—such as murder—adds another layer to the mystery. The narrator suggests that Grace’s apparent happiness could have been a facade, and her death might have been a cover-up. This speculation leads to a broader discussion about the reliability of official rulings and the hidden motives behind seemingly straightforward tragedies. The chapter raises questions about the nature of truth and the ways grief, shame, and secrets can obscure it.
The chapter concludes with the narrator’s internal conflict, torn between her desire to help Virgil and her fear of admitting her diminished abilities. Her failed attempt to contact Grace reinforces the theme that communication with the dead is not a one-sided endeavor but a dialogue that depends on mutual willingness. The unresolved tension between the narrator and Virgil, coupled with the lingering mystery of Grace’s death, leaves the reader questioning what really happened and whether the truth will ever come to light. The chapter masterfully blends supernatural elements with human emotions, creating a poignant exploration of loss, guilt, and the search for closure.
FAQs
1. What key insight does the narrator share about communicating with spirits, based on her experience with the basketball coach’s family?
Answer:
The narrator reveals that communication with spirits is a two-way process requiring willingness from both parties. In the case of the basketball coach, his spirit refused to engage because his wife had explicitly rejected him at his funeral (“Don’t think I’ll forgive you now that you’re dead”). This explains why the recordings of the session were blank—the spirit actively chose silence. The narrator emphasizes that failed connections can stem from a spirit’s refusal to communicate or a medium’s inability, not just technical failure (e.g., “It takes two. If you’re trying hard and coming up empty, it’s either because of a spirit who won’t communicate or because of a medium who can’t”).
2. How does the narrator’s current struggle to connect with Grace Cartwright parallel her earlier experience with the basketball coach?
Answer:
Both cases involve spirits linked to traumatic suicides who may be unwilling or unable to communicate. The basketball coach’s silence was tied to his wife’s rejection, while Grace’s potential silence could stem from shame or unresolved emotions (“suicides are all ghosts—stuck earthbound because they are desperate to apologize or ashamed”). The narrator also hints at her own diminished abilities, admitting she’s “let them believe” her recent finds were psychic successes when she’s actually unable to connect with any spirits. This parallel underscores the complexity of spirit communication, where external and internal factors (spirit’s will, medium’s skill) intertwine.
3. Analyze Virgil’s skepticism and the narrator’s defensiveness in their parking lot conversation. What does this reveal about their perspectives on psychic abilities?
Answer:
Virgil’s skepticism is pragmatic yet open-minded; he’s willing to entertain psychic explanations if they yield results (“I’m willing to admit that psychic powers aren’t a load of bullshit”). His suggestion to try “louder” reflects a misunderstanding of the process as mechanical. The narrator, meanwhile, is defensive, masking her lost abilities with excuses about suicides being “embarrassed.” Her sarcasm (“Do I tell you how to do your job?”) reveals insecurity. Their dynamic highlights the tension between empirical validation (Virgil) and the intangible nature of spirituality (narrator), complicating their collaboration.
4. Why might the narrator speculate that Alice Metcalf’s disappearance could involve suicide, and what flaw does she recognize in this theory?
Answer:
The narrator considers suicide because her inability to contact Alice mirrors her failed attempts with Grace and the basketball coach—both suicides who resisted communication. She initially thinks Alice might be “ashamed,” like other spirits who “are stuck earthbound.” However, she quickly dismisses this as self-deception, acknowledging the real issue is her own lost psychic connection (“the reason I haven’t been able to contact Alice … has a hell of a lot more to do with me than it does with them”). This moment exposes her tendency to blame external factors (spirits’ choices) rather than confront her personal limitations.
5. How does the chapter use the theme of “secrets” to drive the plot forward? Provide examples.
Answer:
Secrets underpin key revelations and conflicts. The basketball coach’s hidden affair and suicide (kept from his daughter) explain the failed psychic session and the erased recordings. Grace Cartwright’s suicide, potentially tied to Gideon’s infidelity, becomes a puzzle Virgil and the narrator must unravel (“What made her kill herself?”). Even the narrator hides her lost abilities from Jenna and Virgil, fabricating successes. These secrets create narrative tension—for example, Virgil’s theory that Grace’s marriage wasn’t happy hinges on uncovering hidden truths. The chapter suggests that unresolved secrets, like uncommunicative spirits, obstruct clarity and resolution.
Quotes
1. “Talking to spirits is a dialogue. It takes two. If you’re trying hard and coming up empty, it’s either because of a spirit who won’t communicate or because of a medium who can’t.”
This quote captures the core dynamic of psychic communication, revealing it as a two-way interaction that can fail from either side. It’s significant as it explains the narrator’s earlier failed reading and foreshadows her current struggles.
2. “It does not work like a faucet. I can’t turn it on and off.”
The narrator’s frustrated response to Virgil highlights the unpredictable nature of psychic abilities. This quote is important as it shows the tension between skeptical outsiders’ expectations and the reality of spiritual communication.
3. “Suicides, almost by definition, are all ghosts—stuck earthbound because they are desperate to apologize to their loved ones or because they are so ashamed of themselves.”
This insight into the spiritual state of suicide victims provides key context for understanding Grace Cartwright’s potential motivations. It represents an important thematic element about unresolved trauma and the afterlife.
4. “What if Gideon wanted a divorce and Grace said no? What if he killed her and tried to make it look like a suicide?”
This speculative question marks a turning point in the investigation, shifting from supernatural explanations to potential human motives. It shows the intersection between psychic intuition and detective work in the narrative.
5. “Why would a happily married woman with a steady job and a family, put stones in her pockets, and walk into a pond? Because she wasn’t a happily married woman.”
This exchange between Virgil and the narrator encapsulates the chapter’s central mystery while revealing the likely truth beneath surface appearances. It’s significant for its concise revelation about domestic facades hiding darker realities.