The Book Of Two Ways

The Book Of Two Ways

Adult Fiction
Jodi Picoult's The Book Of Two Ways is book number 1801 for my
book review blog. That isn't counting the ones I reviewed for
newspapers when they had freelance budgets. However, it raised a
dilemma I had never before experienced. It had my mind going two
ways. It is excellently written, rich and engaging, and insightful.
So I couldn't put it down and pick up the next book. But because it
was so far out of my comfort zone sticking with it to the end was the
psychic equivalent of wisdom tooth surgery without benefit of
anesthesia. So I'll do my best to pitch it and hope it's good enough
to do the book justice.
"My calendar is full of dead people."
If this isn't an attention grabbing first sentence I don't know
what would be.
Dawn, Picoult's protagonist, has an unusual profession. She's a
death doula. Basically she's in the business of helping terminally
ill people make the transition between life and death, discerning and
facilitating that which will make their last days and nights most
meaningful.
Fifteen years (and a lifetime) before she had been pursuing a
PhD in Egyptology. She'd focussed on the Book of Two Ways, a sort of
guide to help newly deceased ancient Egyptians navigate the path to a
desirable afterlife. A fellow student, Wyatt, had first rubbed her
the wrong way with his seeming arrogance. But then working out in the
field rivalry had morphed into passionate romance.
Than a phone call had changed Dawn's life. Her mother was being
admitted to a hospice, dying of cancer. Dawn flew back to the states
to be with her mother at the end. And after her mom passed there was
no way to return to grad school. There was a younger brother who
needed her to become his guardian. There were mountains of debt. And
there was Brian who had just lost his grandmother. He held out the
stability she needed. Before long they were parenting and married.
But in the intervening fifteen years Dawn has never gotten Wyatt
out of her head and heart. And her marriage is fraying a bit around
the edges.
"I have had a good life. But maybe I could have had a great one."
Dawn is in a plane crash. She is one of the survivors. After
the doctor clears her to leave the air line offers to fly her to
wherever she wants to go. Here's where she story splits into two
strands, each one exploring a possible path. In one she heads to
Egypt to rekindle her relationship with Wyatt. In the other she
returns to Brian and their daughter, Meret. These diverging
realities alternate chapter by chapter.
One of the things that makes The Book Of Two Ways great is that
it takes the sense of what if that many people experience at least to
some extent and turns it into a fully engaging narrative. It's other
real strength is that the characters in both strands are unique, fully
fleshed out, believable and faced with complex and challenging lives.
I can't imagine reading the book to the end without caring about its
outcome.
It will also be of great interest to archeology fans with its
great wealth of information.
Picoult is spot on about the transformational nature of coming
close to death. I did right after the death of my first child by
emergency c section. I woke up with an infection. When I told the
doctor on rounds he said that was my imagination. He said "first time
mothers" dismissively to his flock of doctorlings. The second they
left I rang for a nurse. I was soon on intravenous antibiotics. I
later was told that if I'd believed the doctor Eugene would have
started parenthood widowed and Katie and Adam would never have been
born. In the book's terms I got the best of possible paths.
I was not the same person. I chose to stay home rather than try
to balance parenting and work. I realized that the most important
aspect of my life would be not achievement, but touching lives. I
gained a mindfulness mindset that is still going strong decades
later. And, knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed, I make sure to
voice my valuing and appreciation of the people around me on a regular
basis.
One of the things that distinguishes the great writer from the
good writer is that the former has the ability to evoke and connect
with readers' own life experiences for a deeper level of engagement.
Picoult is consistently one of those writers.
However, this is not the book to read if you're in the acute
grieving stage following the death of a loved one--human, cat, or dog--
or anticipating a loss. It could hit a little too close to home.
Dawn is a death doula with a subplot following her work with a
client. And Egyptology is centered on digging up ancient crypts. The
reality of death is woven through the book.
This is what made it so challenging for me to read the book. In
the summer of 2019 I had been the untrained death doula for Joey, my
beloved cat companion of sixteen years who was losing a valient battle
with lung cancer. Making his last months as happy and comfortable was
the focus of my life. Because he loved turkey I had a Thanksgiving in
June. When cat food became hard for him to eat I was elated to
discover that he could still enjoy baby food. We spent a lot of
precious beyond measure time cuddling and looking out the wibdow.
What was hardest was at the end giving him permission to leave when
hanging on would be too difficult. I was with him when his soul left
his body.
As I write this I can see my iPod through my tears.
So if I haven't given this fine novel its due, my apologies to
the author. I believe she would understand.
One part of the book, though, I took great comfort from,
though. Win, Dawn's client, also has a love from her distant past.
She tells Dawn that people know who they thought they'd end up with
and for very few it's who they go home to. I knew from the night we
met that Eugene was the one. He was going to be my partner and baby
daddy. It's been nearly 34 years since the day we met and he's still
my one and only. It's funny how one paragraph made me realize how
truly blessed I am.
Jules Hathaway


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