Jodi Picoult - The Book of Two Ways

Who would you be, if you hadn't turned out to be the person you are now?Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully.
But when the plane she's on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago - when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.
Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to - but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain.
As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she's never truly what does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us?
Two possible futures. One impossible choice.

Comment: I got this book at the library the last time I went there for no other reason than the fact the plot seemed intriguing.

In this book we meet Dawn, a woman who works as a "death doula", meaning she helps those who are terminal with last wishes, technical and/or practical things and she is there for those who don't want to be alone and would, for some reason. One day, Dawn suffers a plane crash but luckily survives and as a compensation, the company offers her a ticket to any place she wants. Supposedly, Dawn should go back home, to her family in Boston, but what if he doesn't? While going through such a traumatic event, Dawn starts thinking about her life, her choices and her regrets... what choice will she make now?

This is the fourth book I try by this author if I remember correctly, and I was quite confident that I'd enjoy it, simply due to the writing style. It seems as if this should be a minor issue but it certainly affects one enjoyment, and I knew I'd like reading the book, even if the story itself wasn't that great. Still, since it would mix interesting situations and Egypt related content, I was even more curious to give it a go.

Dawn has a peculiar job and while it's not something that feels the norm - I had never heard of such a thing in a personal capacity, only if it was a task included in hospital services - it was still interesting to learn. I assume the author has researched this and she adds plenty of information which feels based on norms and legalities and if so, then it feels realistic. Supposedly, only related to the American reality, but still. I also liked all the stories/cases Dawn shares here and there and how this job is important according to her POV and to what society expects of someone in a terminal situation. Even if some situations are not a real thing, it was still food for thought.

I also liked all the Egypt content and the archaeological references, even if they are based on fictional details. A lot of the more theoretical ones are certainly based on real knowledge and History and I was fascinated. I mean, I'm as interested in Egypt as any other person, it's not a specific theme I feel obsessed with, but I had an archaeologist student for a roommate at university and I like History in general, so all the little - and not so little - debates and studies mentioned and the tasks performed in an Egyptian excavation were things I liked knowing and seeing the characters discuss.

This means that, as usual, the author clearly did a lot of research about what she wanted to use and some times that resulted in very interesting passages, other times it felt like all that information had to be used no matter how necessary... but that aside, the secondary themes here were captivating. How this related to Dawn and the secondary characters is the tricky part, but for the most part I think things were done in a very engaging manner. I think Dawn's two possible ways made sense according to what we learn of her life.

Portuguese cover

The story is told by Dawn, and until a certain point, in alternated roads: after the plane crashes, or Dawn goes back home, or Dawn goes back to Egypt, which she left 15 years before, to finished something. The two possible paths seem to not be connected except for Dawn as protagonist but, of course, there's a small twist closer to the end. I would not say the twist is that spectacular issue we often see in thrillers for instance, but it did offer interesting situations to be developed. Still, the twist alone isn't the end of the book and we do have a few more chapters after the big reveals. Were those well done? Perhaps not really and I assume that might be why some readers didn't grade this book higher in average.

Part of Dawn's dilemma is related to the fact she now has an established life with a husband and a child - whom have their own issues to deal with - but she left her heart in Egypt, so be a bit melodramatic. It is assumed that with the plane crash experience and how a big trauma often makes people think about their life, Dawn now feels she has something unfinished, but luckily a second opportunity in life to , perhaps, solve what is necessary. Dawn's actions regarding these two paths aren't impossible to accept and we do read a lot of her personality in how she acts and reacts, but...

I think the author could have done a better job when it comes to how the twist and the final scenes were presented. Somehow it felt that the end wasn't as cohesive as the rest of the book. I've seen some readers saying there's too much Egypt content, but I didn't mind that. Others felt the story had too many different elements to focus on, and I didn't mind that either. But I do agree that the twist options and what comes next wasn't the best option, perhaps even took out some of the intensity of what had happened before. To me, at least.

I still had a good time reading this novel, as I've said. I'll probably read more by the author in the future, in a more conscious decision, at least the ones whose blurbs catch my eye.

Grade: 8/10