LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult

This was one of the best of Jodi Picoult books. The subject was fascinating and the twist in the story unexpected and extremely clever. The story follows a young girl who is trying to find her mother who became lost to her when she was three. She employs the help of a burnt out psychic and a retired policeman who was in charge of a murder case in an elephant sanctuary where her mother worked and following which her mother disappeared. This book will take you to the wonderful world of elephants in Africa and in preservation in America. It explores the dynamics of motherhood within the elephant kingdom and parallels it with that of human's and I must say the elephants come out on top. While the elephant will not leave her dead calf's body for days on end, the mother of this story runs away not knowing what has even happened to her child. The book also advocates the existence of life after death and the reality of spirit beings through the theory of reincarnation. Even though this theory is one among many which attempt to explain the meaning of life, I found it had profound bearing on the story and left me saddened knowing that there are people out there believing that family relationships end with death and that even though we continue to live as spirits we do not continue the associations we formed in 'each' of our lives. The theory of reincarnation gives little to no hope that we will ever see our loved ones again as we hop around to different bodies and different lives which makes the possibility of crossing paths with people we've come to love extremely thin. I do not believe in the theory of reincarnation and consider it absurd. I do, however, believe in life after death and that we continue on as spirits until the time of resurrection. I look forward to meeting my ancestors with great anticipation when we will renew our family ties which will go on forever. I do not know if Jodi Picoult believes in reincarnation and is attempting to promote it through the medium of this book or if she has used this theory for the impact it makes on the story she tells but the fact that she makes no attempt to discredit it makes me think that she accepts it. If so I feel sorry for the lack of confidence she has in enduring family relationships which makes the premise of her story, that of irreplaceable mother's love, rather futile.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a charming book that deserves attention. Set in the 60's against the backdrop of racial struggle in American south, this book reminded me of "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. The main focus of the story, however, is a 14 year old girl's quest to reconnect with her mother who she accidentally shot dead at the age of 4 during a family dispute. Having been raised by a harsh and unyielding father who harbours resentment towards his dead wife and punishes his daughter because of it, Lily yearns for love from her mother. She is convinced that learning all about her will connect her with this love and grant her forgiveness for taking her life. When racial tension reaches it's peak one summer afternoon involving Rosaleen, the black servant who has served as a surrogate mother to Lily, an opportunity presents itself for Lily to embark on a journey of freedom. Running away from home, Lily and Rosaleen find refuge in the home of three beekeeping sisters where the mystery of her mother unfolds and where Lily finds the nurturing that she has missed out on since her mother's death. This is an engaging story of prejudice, forgiveness, discovery and acceptance, cleverly paralleled with complicated and fascinating life of bees. If you like honey, you will crave it the entire span of the book!