The Book of Two Ways
Jodi Picoult, 2020
Random House
432 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781984818355
Summary
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author 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 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 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? (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Where—Nesconset (Long Island), New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Princeton University; M.Ed., Harvard University
• Currently—lives in Hanover, New Hampshire
Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American author. She was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. Picoult currently has approximately 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide.
Early life and education
Picoult was born and raised in Nesconset on Long Island in New York State; when she was 13, her family moved to New Hampshire. Even as a child, Picoult had a penchant for writing stories: she wrote her first story— "The Lobster Which Misunderstood"—when she was five.
While still in college—she studied writing at Princeton University—Picoult published two short stories in Seventeen magazine. To pay the bills, after graduation she worked at a variety of jobs, including copy writing and editing textbooks; she even taught eighth-grade English and attained a Masters in Education from Harvard University.
In 1989, Picoult married Timothy Warren Van Leer, whom she met in college, and while pregnant with their first child, wrote her first book. Song of the Humpbacked Whale, her literary debut, came out in 1992. Two more children followed, as did a string of bestseller novels. All told, Picoult has more than 20 books to her name.
Writing
At an earlier time in her life, Picoult believed the tranquility of family life in small-town New England offered little fodder for writing; the truly interesting stuff of fiction happened elsewhere. Ironically, it is small-town life that has ended up providing the settings for Picoult's novels. Within the cozy surroundings of family and friends, Picoult weaves complex webs of relationships that strain, even tear apart, under stress. She excels at portraying ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Disoriented by some accident of chance, they stumble, whirl, and attempt to regain a footing in what was once their calm, ordered world.
Nor has Picoult ever shied from tackling difficult, controversial issues: school shooting, domestic violence, sexual abuse, teen suicide, and racism. She approaches painful topics with sympathy—and her characters with respect—while shining a light on individual struggles. Her legions of readers have loved and rewarded her for that compassion—and her novels have been consistent bestsellers.
Personal life
Picoult and her husband Timothy live in Hanover, New Hampshire. They have three children and a handful of pets. (Adapted from a 2003 Barnes and Noble interview and from Wikipedia. Retrieved 9/28/2016.)
Book Reviews
Picoult is a master of the craft of storytelling.
Associated Press
Jodi Picoult [is] the prime provider of literary soul food.
Redbook
It’s hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes.
Financial Times
Picoult explores age-old questions about a possible parallel universe in this shrewd tale.… Picoult’s fans will appreciate this multifaceted, high-concept work.
Publishers Weekly
Picoult’s obsession here is the power of choices and what can happen when they are made under pressure.… Picoult’s erudition overload far exceeds the interests of verisimilitude or theme.… A midlife crisis story stifled by enough material for several TED talks.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. The book asks: "Who would you be, if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?" If you had to pinpoint the one person or thing you left behind, what or who would it be? Do you wonder: What if? How might your life be different if you had taken that different route?
2. Had you ever heard of a death doula before reading The Book of Two Ways? What did you think of this care practice and the way it is incorporated in the novel?
3. Both Egyptian mythology and quantum physics are explored in the book, and they are often presented as two opposites in Dawn’s life. Do you think they’re are as different as Dawn perceives them to be, or are there ways in which they actually overlap?
4. In what ways do Dawn’s two potential careers mirror each other?
5. Do you think Dawn’s decision not to return to Egypt after her mother passes away is ultimately a selfish or a selfless choice?
6. Dawn and her daughter, Meret, have a close but challenging relationship. What do you think causes them to clash so often? What do they learn from one another by the end of the book?
7. Picoult plays with the idea of parallel universes and alternate timelines as we see Dawn’s narrative unravel in both Boston and in Egypt. Were you surprised when it became clear which timeline Dawn truly exists in?
8. What responsibility do you think Brian and Wyatt each hold for how Dawn’s path in life progressed?
9. Do you think it’s possible to experience multiple loves, as Dawn and Win both describe?
10. What did you think of Dawn’s decision to deliver Win’s painting to Thane Bernard?
11. The novel also explores the concept of fate versus free will. Do you think we determine our own destiny through our choices, or are we always heading toward the same fate no matter which path we take to get there (as The Book of Two Ways suggests)?
12. If you were in Dawn’s shoes, would you choose to stay with Brian or to pursue a life with Wyatt? Or is there another path you would take instead?
13. What do you think makes for a good legacy? Are certain things—like one’s career, contributions to science or culture, or family—weighed more heavily than others when considering what constitutes a "good life"?
(Questions from the author's website.)