read – leaving time

I just finished one of the sweetest books I’ve ever read – Leaving Time. I wouldn’t say that it’s a literary masterpiece, alongside the works of William Faulkner or even Toni Morrison, but it is definitely a book that is captivating and worth reading.

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In Leaving Time, Jodi Picoult tells the story of a pubescent teenage girl on a search for her mother who has been missing for nearly a decade. The colorful characters she brings together on this bittersweet mission make for a memorable, often funny, and suspenseful tale. But, like many of Picoult’s books, huge twists at the end will leave you shocked.

Another element adding to the beauty of this novel is the inclusion of elephant research. Sounds weird, I know, but elephant behavior (at least in this story) becomes a striking parallel to human parenting. Picoult’s elephants become metaphors for the deep, profound love a mother has for her child. Written beautifully. Kept me page-turning until the end.