Leaving Home brings together three, previously published short pieces, each dealing with a variation on the theme of leaving home. The first, "Weights and Measures," deals with the tragic loss of a child; the second is a non-fiction letter Picoult wrote to her eldest son as he left for college; and, "Ritz" tells the story of a mother who takes the vacation all mothers need sometime. Jodi Picoult has the remarkable ability to portray an event's key moments and feelings in a potent narration that tugs at the heartstrings. Leaving Home's three emotionally charged stories deal with a gamut of pain, regret, unconditional love, memory, motherhood, and friendship that the author renders almost palpably.