You know that feeling when you’re reading a book and you’re like, “wait I need to memorize this moment to refer back to it when I need it.” The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult had many many many of those moments for me.
The vibe
Book / Blanket / Face mask / Pillow / Mug / Necklace / Candle
I love this blue and yellow/gold combo just about as much as I loved this book, which sent me on a ride through Egyptology, parallel universes, and more.
The review
📝 Brief synopsis: Dawn was in grad school for Egyptology and was out on a dig trip when she got the call. Her mom was dying, and she returned home to Boston to watch her mother die then raise her 13 year old brother. That was 15 years ago. Now Dawn has a husband and a teenage daughter, but that doesn’t keep her mind from wandering to Wyatt (the classmate and lover she left behind in Egypt) when she discovers the plane she’s on is crashing. The book opens on that near death experience, and what Dawn realizes in that moment unfolds throughout the book.
💭 My thoughts: Holy moly I’ll never be the same after this book. Dawn’s two storylines are absolutely fascinating. One follows her work in Egypt — never have I learned so much about Egyptian death practices or the archeologist work that went into discovering them. (Actually, this focus on Egyptian studies is the biggest critique on the book I’ve seen. People say it’s too much and too dull, but I enjoyed it!) The other storyline is back in Boston, where after caring for her mother, Dawn becomes a death doula who helps her clients in their last days. It’s so beautiful how she cares for her patient Win, and how the two women help each other in unexpected ways.
🤓 What I learned: Yes, I expected a lot on Egypt, namely The Book of Two Ways — a map of sorts that’s painted on Middle Egyptian’s tombs as a ritual. It’s meant to lead the dead to their after life. I also learned a lot about death and — funnily enough — physics. Dawn’s husband’s job is studying alternate universes and I LOVED the element that totally plays into The Book Of Two Ways and the story itself — as Dawn imagines what her life could have been if she went back to Wyatt. OH and I loved all the superstitions from Dawn’s Irish mother that were sprinkled throughout the book. Egyptology? ✔️ Modern physics? ✔️ Irish superstitions?✔️ Extremely potent thoughts on death? ✔️ Gang’s all here.
🌟 Rating: For sure five stars!
BookNerdalie 