As you all know I absolutely love Jodi Picoult so I preordered this as soon as I saw it was being released. I didn’t really read the blurb in advance just knew that I always love her books so I would no doubt love this too. When it arrived and I read the blurb I was a little bit underwhelmed and didn’t have the urge to read it straight away like I was expecting. I put it on my 2020 to be read list though.

The story focuses on Dawn who was an Egyptology student working on an archeological site in Egypt writing her PHD on the Book of Two Ways. However, when her mother suddenly dies, she has responsibilities at home preventing her from returning and developing a new life for herself.

She has a seemingly happy life with her husband and daughter, and absolutely loves her job as a death doula which brings her purpose. However, at 39 she starts to wonder what her life would have been like if she stayed in Egypt and with the man she had fallen for there. When a opportunity presents itself to explore this alternative life she embraces it.

Do not be put off by the academic and extremely factual aspects of this book; particular at the start. I probably would have given up in the first few chapters if it wasn’t specifically a Jodi Picoult book, but I’m really glad I stuck with it because once I got used to it I really enjoyed it; I did skim some of the more academic sections.

It’s so cleverly constructed too which I don’t want to spoil for anybody but the structure isn’t what it seems. It is also so thought provoking the way that Picoult makes you consider the discovery of the Book of Two ways alongside the story you are reading.

I can’t really explain it, but anybody who has read it and wants to discuss it please get in touch! It’s definitely a book I want to discuss with others.