I have not been an avid reader of Jodi Picoult like so many are, but I absolutely loved this book. Chapters shift narrating perspectives amongst several different characters including Alice, an elephant researcher in Africa who married a man with an elephant sanctuary in New Hampshire and with whom she had a daughter, Jenna. But ever since the night when one of the elephant caretakers was found dead and Alice was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, Alice has been missing--for over 10 years now. Thirteen-year-old Jenna has been raised by a curmudgeonly grandmother who won't talk about Alice, even though Jenna desperately wants to know more about her. More than that, Jenna wants to find her mother and ask the really big question, "Did her mother abandon her or is she dead?" Seeking some closure Jenna does her own research and saves up her money from babysitting. She tracks down and implores the two people she thinks might be able to help her: Virgil, the disgraced police officer who investigated the death at the sanctuary, and Serenity, a disgraced celebrity psychic who has lost her powers.
Publishers Weekly opens their review with "Picoult's ... novel explores grief, memory, and motherhood through the unlikely lens of elephant behavior," and concludes by saying, "The pachyderms are as complex as the humans, making the journey memorable and poignant." Library Journal offers this verdict, "A truly engaging read that crosses through the genres of mystery and the supernatural." Booklist praises, "Picoult's newest multifaceted novel is redolent with elephant lore that explores the animals' behavior when faced with death and grief, and combines a poignant tale of human loss with a perplexing crime story that delivers a powerhouse ending." The New York Journal of Books also offered a glowing review which ended with "Even for someone who is not usually a fan of ghost stories and mysticism, the writing and storytelling compelled the suspension of disbelief and acceptance of the unimaginable. And in the end an amazed and admiring gasp—'I did not see that coming.'" I totally agreed with that!
There is an interesting interview with Picoult in The New York Times.
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