The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult ~ My Thoughts #TheBookOfTwoWays

The Book of Two Ways

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

Print & ebook, 416 pages

Published September 22nd 2020 by Ballantine

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 change 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 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, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, where she helps ease the transition between life and death for patients in hospice.

But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she 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 the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation wherever they want to go. The obvious option for Dawn is to continue down the path she is on and go home to her family. The other is to 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 beside 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?

My thoughts about The Book of Two Ways ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"My calendar is full of dead people."

Picoult's books are sometimes hit-or-miss with me. I can't say I 'loved' The Book of Two Ways but I did really like the story-line. What was a miss for me was the detail that she went into about Egyptology—explaining all about the history of the dig sites, the hieroglyphics, and all those Egyptian people from the past. I understand that this is a deep interest for her, but I felt it really slowed the story down. 

Aside from all that detail, I really liked the story-line and the characters and cared about the situations that they found themselves in. I found myself skipping over the history lessons to spend more time with Dawn in her world. This book would be perfect anyone who has an interest in Egyptology and loves Picoult's stories—the best of both worlds!

I received a copy of The Book of Two Ways from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty-six novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Small Great Things, A Spark of Light, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Between the Lines, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. ~ Goodreads

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