The Book of Two Ways: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-10-03 06:51:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jodi Picoult
- ISBN：059335902X
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Summary
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？
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？
Reviews
Lisa Miller
，
Kind of 3。5 stars。 Piccoult is a good writer。 This book sank beneath the combined weight of too much Egyptology and a bit too much physics。 I believe she could have removed about half of the Egyptology and still been able to tell the story she wanted to tell。 The middle third of the book I was starting to skim but got drawn back in when Dawn was coming to a decision point。 Didn’t really love the jumping around the timeline so I wasn’t thrilled with the “twist” at the end。
Stacy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was hard to follow the timeline at first。。。 but once I was a few chapters in， I was able to jump right along with the main character。 A definite page turner， although I'm not sure I'm in love with how it ends。。。 what is Dawn's answer？？ It was hard to follow the timeline at first。。。 but once I was a few chapters in， I was able to jump right along with the main character。 A definite page turner， although I'm not sure I'm in love with how it ends。。。 what is Dawn's answer？？ 。。。more
Kelly
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Entertaining， it kept my interest。 But like all Jodi picoult books， I need time to marinate to see how I really feel about it。
Natalie Tort
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DNF
Rebekah
，
I honestly think this might be the saddest book I've ever experienced。 And that's really saying something。And it's sad on so many levels。 I was shocked at how many times I found myself crying。 Con: it was REALLY long。 And dragged a bit。 I honestly think this might be the saddest book I've ever experienced。 And that's really saying something。And it's sad on so many levels。 I was shocked at how many times I found myself crying。 Con: it was REALLY long。 And dragged a bit。 。。。more
joyce johnston
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Very good- learned a lot about the Egyptians！ lol--has a good story！
Stephanie Perrone
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I love JP and her books。 I enjoyed the Egyptian setting and rich characters。
Aubrey
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I struggled to get through this book。 It wasn’t as gripping as her previous books。 I had a difficult time connecting with the characters。
BookswithChantal
，
Picoult's latest novel is a fascinating exploration of life， love， Egyptology and Egyptian history， and Physics， regrets and wondering how life might have turned out if different life choices had been made。 Picoult writes of the complexities of being human， the choices we make， the people that matter in her story of life， love and death， and extolling the need to live life now through her central protagonist， Dawn。 She excels in her characterisation of Dawn and the painful， messy complications t Picoult's latest novel is a fascinating exploration of life， love， Egyptology and Egyptian history， and Physics， regrets and wondering how life might have turned out if different life choices had been made。 Picoult writes of the complexities of being human， the choices we make， the people that matter in her story of life， love and death， and extolling the need to live life now through her central protagonist， Dawn。 She excels in her characterisation of Dawn and the painful， messy complications that life so often comprises of， with her reflections on what could have been， her sense of identity and who exactly she is。 This is richly descriptive and heavily detailed， multilayered storytelling， thoughtful， insightful and well written on life's deepest questions but will not be for everyone。 An emotionally satisfying and touching novel that I recommend highly to others。The Book of Two Ways is an actual collection of Coffin texts that ancient Egyptians included in the coffins of their dead。 This depicts two paths a soul can take to the same destination。 Both paths are full of strife and temptation where the soul gets tested。There are so many themes that gets covered; love， loss， regret， body image， death， the struggles of marriage and the watershed moments that changes your life forever。The amount of research that must have gone into writing this book is impressive。 The book tackles subjects like hieroglyphics and quantum physics in a way that made this not only an insightful read but a very interesting and informative one as well。 。。。more
Desney King
，
3。5 stars from me for a Jodi Picoult novel？ Unheard of。Her work has always been 4 stars， and her most recent （until now） 5 stars。But no matter how much I wished it， I couldn't develop the fascination with Egyptology required for immersion in this novel。 Quantum mechanics， while more interesting， didn't need to be so detailed either; not for me， anyway。And yet the characters， the themes， the honest focus on death and dying - all excellent。 There's so much to love and admire about The Book of Two 3。5 stars from me for a Jodi Picoult novel？ Unheard of。Her work has always been 4 stars， and her most recent （until now） 5 stars。But no matter how much I wished it， I couldn't develop the fascination with Egyptology required for immersion in this novel。 Quantum mechanics， while more interesting， didn't need to be so detailed either; not for me， anyway。And yet the characters， the themes， the honest focus on death and dying - all excellent。 There's so much to love and admire about The Book of Two Ways; and so much that had me skipping whole sections。And Jodi: I wish you hadn't given in to your editor's advice about the ending。 。。。more
Sushb
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I started but did not finish。
Laura Mae
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Reading this book was a struggle。 I have read ALL of Jodi Picoults books and this one was the toughest。 It seemed like a text book at some parts and the main character seemed whiny and hypocritical。 I finished it， but I didn’t like it。
Debbie
，
This was the first book I’ve read by this author， it won’t be the last。 I found the Egyptology and archaeology， as well as the death doula so fascinating， however the quantum mechanics could have been left out completely - ugh！ There are so many things going on in this book that are thought-provoking。 Picoult does not make judgments or tell readers what she wants them to think。 There are moral dilemmas， mid-life crises， complicated family dynamics， choices made， the “what if’s” in our lives， bod This was the first book I’ve read by this author， it won’t be the last。 I found the Egyptology and archaeology， as well as the death doula so fascinating， however the quantum mechanics could have been left out completely - ugh！ There are so many things going on in this book that are thought-provoking。 Picoult does not make judgments or tell readers what she wants them to think。 There are moral dilemmas， mid-life crises， complicated family dynamics， choices made， the “what if’s” in our lives， body shaming， mortality， …Then there’s that damned ending！ 。。。more
Nancy
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A young Egyptologist who studies ancient death rituals takes a fork in life’s road that leads her to a new life and career as a death doula。 Years later she wonders if that choice is irrevocable and returns to Egypt to find out， poised between the two loves of her life。 End of life rituals， family， quantum mechanics， superstition， identity， destiny， loyalty， and near death experiences swirl as she must make a painful choice。 Mixing science with romance works here。
Stephanie Newman
，
DNFI couldn’t get past all the talk of Ancient Egypt and quantum mechanics stuff。 Omg。 Tell the story。 I don’t need to know how electrons work。 Seriously。 I’m sure it’s a great story past all that， but I don’t have the brain capacity to read that。 If I wanted to read about Egypt and quantum mechanics， I’d check out a book on it。
Sue Kozlowski
，
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors - her use of words is just amazing。I've read many of her books but I can't say that this one is one of my favorites。 It is a story told in alternating time frames。 Dawn is an ex-Egyptologist who lives in Boston with her husband Brian and their daughter Meret。 She tells her story from this perspective， as she struggles to in her mind to determine if she is spending her life with the right man。 In other chapters， Dawn is working on digs as an Egyptologist Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors - her use of words is just amazing。I've read many of her books but I can't say that this one is one of my favorites。 It is a story told in alternating time frames。 Dawn is an ex-Egyptologist who lives in Boston with her husband Brian and their daughter Meret。 She tells her story from this perspective， as she struggles to in her mind to determine if she is spending her life with the right man。 In other chapters， Dawn is working on digs as an Egyptologist with Wyatt in Egypt - some parts of the story take place before she meets Brain and some parts take place once she is already married。There is a plane crash in which Dawn survives。 When reading the book， it seems as if there are 2 plane crashes。 I don't think there are， but is confusing to figure out。 Dawn's husband Brian believes in quantum physics - the belief that we live in parallel universes - that when we make a choice in life， both pathways exist and are lived out。 I think the author uses this theory to weave 2 choices simultaneously in the story。The author says that she became interested in Egypt when her son declared his major to be Egyptology at Yale University。 She has done much in-depth research concerning the history of Egyptians， the hieroglyphics， and the elaborate tombs they have left behind。 I tried to understand and learn， but all of the gods and the afterlife just don't interest me that much。 There is a great deal of writing included in this book。 。。。more
Doireann Collins
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Boring at timesI've read all of Jodi Picoult's books and this is my least favourite。 This book is very well researched and clearly a topic the author enjoys （and visited Egypt while doing the research according to the afterword）， however， the disjointed ramblings about Egyptian history take up about 50% of the book and even though I like history and find the pharaohs interesting， without context or being able to see the tombs， I found myself skim reading most of the book。 I also find myself gett Boring at timesI've read all of Jodi Picoult's books and this is my least favourite。 This book is very well researched and clearly a topic the author enjoys （and visited Egypt while doing the research according to the afterword）， however， the disjointed ramblings about Egyptian history take up about 50% of the book and even though I like history and find the pharaohs interesting， without context or being able to see the tombs， I found myself skim reading most of the book。 I also find myself getting annoyed by the recurrent theme in Picoult's books where the protagonist cheats but it is dressed up in ridiculous hyperbole。Another minor detail but really irritating are the author's frequent references to her Irish mother's superstitions， which as an actual Irish person I can say are just not an accurate depiction of an Irish woman of that age （the protagonist is my age so comparing her to people of my mother's age）。 It's a small but annoying thing frequently seen in American books and films and shows a lack of research or understanding about modern Ireland。I only really finished this book out of a sense of duty， but it was hard work and I was not rewarded by the distinctly tepid ending。 。。。more
Sarah Sophie
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Eins muss man Jodi Picoult lassen。。 sie schreibt eingängige und vielfältige Geschichten。 Leider gehörte diese nicht zu meinen Favoriten。 Wen das alte Ägypten interessiert und die Arbeit an den Gräbern dort， der wird hier definitiv auf seine Kosten kommen。 Ich kann nur erahnen wie groß die Recherchearbeit gewesen sein muss！ Leider war die Liebesgeschichte hier für mich nicht nachfühlbar und einiges am Plot deutlich zu konstruiert。 （ lässt man jemanden nach 15 Jahren und einer tiefen Enttäuschung Eins muss man Jodi Picoult lassen。。 sie schreibt eingängige und vielfältige Geschichten。 Leider gehörte diese nicht zu meinen Favoriten。 Wen das alte Ägypten interessiert und die Arbeit an den Gräbern dort， der wird hier definitiv auf seine Kosten kommen。 Ich kann nur erahnen wie groß die Recherchearbeit gewesen sein muss！ Leider war die Liebesgeschichte hier für mich nicht nachfühlbar und einiges am Plot deutlich zu konstruiert。 （ lässt man jemanden nach 15 Jahren und einer tiefen Enttäuschung sofort wieder an der womöglich wichtigsten Expedition seines Lebens teilnehmen und sogar mitarbeiten？？ Hat sich die Technik nicht kolossal weiterentwickelt in der Zeit？？） Wenn man über gewisse Logiklücken und konstruierte Plottwists hinweg sehen kann， bekommt man eine einfühlsame Sterbebegleiterin， eine berührende Geschichte einer großartigen Künstlerin， die im Sterben liegt und eine Familiengeschichte， die dem Leser eine Entscheidung überlasst。。 。。。more
Jel
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Probably my least favourite book from my favourite author。 Still very beautifully written， just not my topic of interest。
Alexis
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I really enjoyed this book。 Loved the storyline and everything about it。
Kris
，
Would be 4 stars but for that damn ending。
Katie
，
A friend has been raving about this book since she listened months ago and since I have a love-hate relationship with Jodi Picoult I was hesitant to pick it up and use one of my precious hold spots at the library for it。 So when I was perusing the new release section while picking up my holds and it was available， I decided to take a chance。Like every other reviewer says， it’s heavy on Egypt。 The first chapter almost turned me away because it felt like a textbook， it under the excellent review o A friend has been raving about this book since she listened months ago and since I have a love-hate relationship with Jodi Picoult I was hesitant to pick it up and use one of my precious hold spots at the library for it。 So when I was perusing the new release section while picking up my holds and it was available， I decided to take a chance。Like every other reviewer says， it’s heavy on Egypt。 The first chapter almost turned me away because it felt like a textbook， it under the excellent review of my friend， I persevered。I’m glad I did。 The structure is interesting and feels like two universes based on the real historical book called The Book of Two Ways。 I gasped aloud at one point around page 230-250， when I finally understood the structure。It begs the question of when do you decide who you want to be？ And can you ever leave your past behind？The book is a lot about death and understanding the Egyptian view of the afterlife。 The main character is a death doula， which is a fascinating career … but there’s no mention of the Christian version of the afterlife。 It felt weird to completely leave it out and base the story on the premise that there is nothing after death。 I know it’s not everyone’s view of what happens next， but it felt weird to have zero mentions of such a widely accepted belief system。 。。。more
dennis Waters
，
I didn’t think I would enjoy this book but I did。 The 3 stories running through this book were really interesting and had me hooked。 I did get the plane crash in the wrong place but sorted that in the end。 The alternative universe or sliding doors ideas I find interesting。 Egyptian history I still find a minefield as does quantum physics but it added to the book。
Carlene Benne
，
Written so beautifully that I didn't want it to end。 But the ending was such a disappointment。 Ruined the entire book for me。 Written so beautifully that I didn't want it to end。 But the ending was such a disappointment。 Ruined the entire book for me。 。。。more
Louise Adams
，
Like many other 3 star ratings for this one， I also found the textbook heavy nature of the novel to be almost painful to push through at times。 It also felt largely irrelevant， in some ways， to character development and contributions to the larger story telling。 Considering the type of novel that most Picoult fans are expecting when picking up her book， this falls short。 Too many topics were tackled and smashed into this one。 The underlying story of Dawn and how her intricate love triangle inter Like many other 3 star ratings for this one， I also found the textbook heavy nature of the novel to be almost painful to push through at times。 It also felt largely irrelevant， in some ways， to character development and contributions to the larger story telling。 Considering the type of novel that most Picoult fans are expecting when picking up her book， this falls short。 Too many topics were tackled and smashed into this one。 The underlying story of Dawn and how her intricate love triangle intersects with her patients was a great read and development。 It is unfortunate that much like an archeologist， you have to really sift through the book and dig to find it at some points。 Aside from that， the interpersonal story between the characters was pretty good。 I had a range of emotions throughout reading it。 To me， I felt the most sympathy toward Brian。 That brother just really took a difficult lot in all of this as things unfolded。 Overall， I have no regrets reading this book， but I don't know that I would recommend it moving forward。 。。。more
Nichole
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Thankful I listened to this book instead of reading it。 Not sure if I would have stuck with it otherwise。 Loved the story and I liked how the author wove it all together。
Laurie Popovac
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I love Jodi Picoult and every book she has written。。。except this one。 The history of Egyptology and hieroglyphics kept me from getting into this story。 Felt like a history book i was forced to read。 It definitely should have been in the books description。 Disappointed。 Couldn't finish it。 I love Jodi Picoult and every book she has written。。。except this one。 The history of Egyptology and hieroglyphics kept me from getting into this story。 Felt like a history book i was forced to read。 It definitely should have been in the books description。 Disappointed。 Couldn't finish it。 。。。more
Susan
，
I think this is what happens when you’re an established， best selling author like Picoult。 You get liberty to write about whatever you like。 The Egyptology stuff， while I respect the level of research here， I found a slog to get through。 It detracted from an otherwise good plot。 I just didn’t care and honestly sped read through those parts。 Same with the Quantum Physics stuff。 We get it Jodi - you’re super smart and in a parallel universe you might have been a scientist。 A satisfying ending coul I think this is what happens when you’re an established， best selling author like Picoult。 You get liberty to write about whatever you like。 The Egyptology stuff， while I respect the level of research here， I found a slog to get through。 It detracted from an otherwise good plot。 I just didn’t care and honestly sped read through those parts。 Same with the Quantum Physics stuff。 We get it Jodi - you’re super smart and in a parallel universe you might have been a scientist。 A satisfying ending could have redeemed the book for me， but instead it just left me annoyed with all the characters - except for Meret。 。。。more
Christy
，
3。5 stars for me。 Loved the Egyptology references and learning about death doulas…I had a harder time identifying with the main character and her choices。
Ellen
，