In the early 80's I read a book that I THINKwas called "The Absence". The premise is this: A girl is away at a boarding school in France. She is called to the headmistresses office who tells her that her Mother had been killed in a car wreck and had left no money for the girl to continue on at the school. The girl goes home with friends of her Mothers, to their modern mansion in the South West in some desert area. There the girl meets a native american shaman who takes her on a vision quest to discover what really happened to her mother. A severed foot plays a large part in the visions that both the girl and the shaman have. I think the girls name was Laura, or Lisa. The head mistress says "N'est Ce Pas" after telling the girl of her Mothers death and comforting her, rather stiffly. The book was part mystery and part romance, and must have been written prior to 1980.
It is driving me insane trying to remember who wrote this and if "The Absence" is really the title.
Thank You!
irolyne

If it is an American novel that you read, it is unlikely that the
Title is "The Absence." That name has already been copyrighted:

Elizabeth Spencer, Fiction, “The Absence,” The New Yorker, September 10, 1966, p. 53

Also, the plot isn't similar to the one you're trying to find. If you'd care to
See the plot of "The Absence," it's at the link below:

Fiction: The Absence: The New Yorker