Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult kept me engrossed throughout this intense novel. The contemporary story takes place in New Hampshire, Africa and a short time in Tennessee. The story rotates between four characters.

Jenna Metcalf, thirteen, has never stopped thinking of and searching for her mother who disappeared after a mysterious accident when Jenna was three years old. Jenna lives with her grandmother who has met her responsibilities in substituting her daughter’s duties as a mother, but resents this extra responsibility. Jenna’s father is in a mental institution. She constantly searches the internet for any clues relating to her mother, and pours over her mother’s journals hoping to find clues.

Serenity Jones, a psychic, at first rejects Jenna’s plea to help find the girl’s mother. Serenity at one time was a well-known personality and was frequently called upon by police to help solve cases, and often appeared on television. But she fell from grace and now is reluctant to use her talents to help this desperate girl.

Virgil Stanhope, an ex-cop and now a private detective, is approached by an insistent girl, Jenna, to help find her mother. Virgil, jaded from past experiences, at first resists helping, but then learns he was the detective on a murder case that might relate to Alice’s whereabouts.

Alice, Jenna’s mother, spent several years in Africa studying elephant behavior. She made keen observations as she journaled extended elephant families—how they nurture and protect their young, how they show love, fear and grief, and their habits when searching for food and water.

The book alternates chapters featuring Jenna, Serenity, Virgil and Alice. As the three work together to find Alice they come to surprising and sometimes dismaying discoveries and conclusions about themselves as well as learning about the lessons Alice discovered years before.

This book also includes a novella, Larger Than Life, about Alice’s early years researching elephants. I also appreciated this story and learning even more about elephants and their strong family relationships.

I very much enjoyed Leaving Time, and Larger Than Life, especially the sections about Africa. I’ve always loved elephants and this novel is rich with elephant culture. Elephants and humans have experienced a troubled, even tragic, co-existence and both stories expand on these problems and the steps taken to reduce conflicts.