Jodi Picoult Rips My Heart Out Yet Again
- Christine
- Jul 19, 2015
- 3 min read
When it comes to Jodi Picoult novels, I have quite a bit to say. I’ve read many of her books, and yet I still fail to see the plot twist that will occur, leaving me a complete mess, dazed and confused, for hours. Leaving Time, her newest novel, making her collection a whooping 22 books, all averaging over 400 pages, messed me up no less, if not more, than her other novels. I’m going to say this up front, this review is going to be hard to write without giving away any spoilers. I will do my best to be descriptive, while remaining vague.
Like her other novels, Leaving Time is told from multiple points of view, giving the reader multiple sides to the story. I honestly had no idea where the plot of this novel was going to take me, but I was enjoying the ride. The four main characters in Leaving Time are Alice, a scientist who studies elephants, Jenna, her lost daughter, Serenity, a psychic whom Jenna employs to help her find her mother, and Virgil, an ex-detective and alcohol, another one of Jenna’s helpers. While is could be argued that Jenna is the main character, by the end of the story the emphasis is on Serenity. Without giving too much away, Serenity lost her psychic powers, and is able to recover them through her journey with Jenna and Virgil.
Jenna and Virgil are also seeking answers, answers to a tragic accident that occurred ten years prior to the main action of the novel. Both are concerned with discovering what happened the night of Alice’s disappearance from an Elephant Sanctuary in New England. The only people who made it out alive that night were Alice, who is missing, Gideon, who relocated, and Thomas, Jenna’s father who is mentally unstable and unaware of how his life has turned out. Without much to go on, Serenity must lead a majority of the investigation using her sixth sense which she believes left her long ago.
Alice’s portion of the story is mainly told in past tense, beginning with her time in Africa before she met Jenna’s father. Periodically throughout the novel we get glimpses of her life, until the end when she is finally pulled into the main action of the story.
I loved this novel, just like I have loved every other novel Picoult has written. She is a master of language, as well as a fountain of knowledge. She has a knack for writing vibrant and realistic characters, none of which lack depth. Her language and plots are so vivid; it doesn’t take longer than a few days to devour one of her novels, despite their length. Personally, I find them impossible to put down. If you’re looking for a book to read, I highly recommend Leaving Time, along with any other Jodi Picoult novel you can get your hands on. Her books can be a bit pricy though, so make sure to check out your local second hand bookshop or a public library if you aren’t quite ready to shell out $15-$20 on a paperback book.
If you’ve read Leaving Time, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how the plot of the novel unfolded. Let me know in the comments or drop me an e-mail! Until next time, happy reading!
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