I read Jodi Picoult for two reasons. One is that I've felt poisoned by deeply noir novels filled with unlikable characters and need to read about an inspiring protagonist. That's why I read the Jodi Picoult novella Larger Than Life. See my review here. The other reason why I read Jodi Picoult is because I want to see how she handles a particular theme.
The central concept of The Book of Two Ways sounded compelling. I expected that Jodi Picoult would approach it in a way that would be dramatic, and draw me in to the lives of the characters. She is an author who writes about significant ideas in the context of fiction about people who readers can identify with. At least, that has always been my experience through my years of reading Picoult. It's why she's been a favorite. I was saving The Book of Two Ways for a time when I wanted to get away from genre fiction. So I excavated the Net Galley copy of Picoult's latest book from my Kindle's contents with anticipation.
Our protagonist Dawn McDowell Edelstein had once been on track to become an archaeologist when fate upended her life. She left archaeology behind, got married and became a death doula. I've linked to a USA Today article about what death doulas do. A pivotal event happens and Dawn feels the need to re-examine her life. The plot summary says that this event was surviving a plane crash, but actually Dawn was impelled toward the journey that re-connected her with her past by something else that happened earlier. Revealing the entire plot sequence would, of course, be a major spoiler. I would never do that in a review.
Some readers have found it difficult to sympathize with Dawn. I have not been in Dawn's life situation, and don't know for certain how I would react if I were. I have compassion for Dawn, and believe that her decisions were understandable. Yet she hurt people who didn't deserve to be hurt. Readers will need to decide whether Dawn should be forgiven.
There are two men in Dawn's life, the archaeologist Wyatt Armstrong and her husband physicist Brian Edelstein. Both men are flawed in different ways. At various points, I wondered why she would have become involved with either one of them. On the other hand, they each have their strengths. All men are imperfect human beings, and Dawn certainly isn't a paragon herself.
Dawn's daughter Meret, who we meet at age fifteen, is probably the most relatable character. In her case, adolescent angst is very much justified. She needed a dependable mother, not one who was going through a mid-life crisis. In our society, men are more easily forgiven for their mid-life crises even when they have children. Mothers are viewed as being too crucial to families. They are harshly judged as child abandoners. It's fortunate that Meret turns out to be much more mature and resilient than the typical teen. I feel that husband Brian deserves the credit for that. He was the one who imbued her with the internal resources that allowed her to navigate challenging circumstances.
As always, Jodi Picoult has written a novel that focuses on the impact of a particular predicament on a family. The Book of Two Ways may not be her best book, but it was a worthy one, if only because I learned about the experience of being a death doula. Readers who are interested in ancient Egypt may also find it worthwhile.
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