Title: The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light comes a riveting novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives.
Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
Review:
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult is an introspective novel about love and loss.
A troubled point in her fifteen year marriage to Brian and their moody fourteen year old daughter Meret leave Dawn Edelstein looking back at the choices she has made. In her past, Dawn was on her path to completing her dissertation in Egyptology. While working on an archaeological project in Egypt, she and fellow student Wyatt Armstrong are embroiled in a hot and heavy romance. But an unexpected emergency brings her home and due to circumstances out of her control, her life and career take a very different direction. Back in the present, she is now a death doula and while caring for her latest client, Win, Dawn cannot help but wonder if she made the wrong choice fifteen years ago. With Brian believing in parallel universes, Dawn’s life plays out in two different trajectories and eventually intersect in the present.
Dawn is fully immersed in working towards her degree and she loves everything about the project in Egypt. She and Wyatt clash right from their first meeting and her opinion of him is definitely on the lower end of the spectrum. Dawn’s view of the Egyptian past is different than Wyatt’s and while they manage to work together, there is always an underlying tension between them. Their work at the archaeological site requires patience due to the nature of the work and the harsh conditions. During a festive occasion, Dawn and Wyatt finally let their guard down which results in a very passionate love affair.
In the present, Dawn and Brian are happy until an incident that leaves her wondering if there is a future for them. Meret is struggling with body issues and Dawn stumbles over trying to help her deal with her emotions. She is also very busy with Win, who is a wonderful woman whom Dawn identifies with a little more than she should. But as Win nears the end of her life, her one big regret results in Dawn pondering a long ago decision that still haunts her.
The Book of Two Ways is a reflective novel with captivating relationship issues. The overall story is interesting with incredibly well-researched subject matter. While the part of the storyline that deals with the various relationships is riveting, the story gets bogged down in an overload of Egyptian and quantum physics information. Despite the extraneous amount of dry subject matter, the characters are vibrantly developed and very appealing. With a bit of unanticipated drama, Jodi Picoult brings the novel to an abrupt, somewhat frustrating conclusion.
All in all, an enjoyable and educational novel that is sometimes a bit tedious but well worth reading.
