The Book of Two Ways, a novel by Jodi Picoult, kept me guessing from start to finish. Picoult has become one of my favorite authors and this novel reaffirmed my opinion of this fine writer. The contemporary novel takes place in Egypt and Boston.

Dawn Edelstein, nearing her forties, is one of thirty-six passengers who survive a plane crash. The survivors are seen by a doctor, then offered transportation to wherever they want to go. Surprisingly, Dawn chooses not to return to her home in Boston, but rather to Egypt in search of Wyatt Armstrong, a man she last saw fifteen years ago.

Dawn’s decision to go to Egypt is contrary to what one might expect. At their home in Boston is her husband, Brian, a physicist, and their teenage daughter, Meret. Dawn has a successful career as a death doula, in which she helps clients ease the transition between life and death. She has an interesting background. Years earlier, before marriage, Dawn studied at Yale in an Egyptian archaeology and social anthropology program. While there she met Wyatt Armstrong, an arrogant upperclassman from England. Dawn was not impressed, though he was obviously knowledgeable in Egyptian archaeology. Later, she worked three seasons in a doctorate program in Bersha, located in the middle of Egypt, where Wyatt was her supervisor, and where she was able to use her expertise in hieroglyphics. Now, fifteen years later, Wyatt is the director of the Egyptology program in Egypt. Dawn and Wyatt’s relationship takes a romantic turn and they discover one another in a different light.

As the story unfolds, we see Dawn’s seemingly happy home life in Boston with her husband, Brian, and their daughter, Meret. Dawn’s dedication to her profession as a death doula is evident as she assists a dying woman face death. Although teenage Meret has self-image problems, she and her mother have a close relationship.

Now, again in Egypt, Dawn has an opportunity to see what her life might have been, to revisit her one-time sought-after career, and the man she once fiercely loved.

The Book of Two Ways is an interesting title. It’s taken from an earlier Egyptian title that is one of the earliest known “guides to the beyond,” offering a spiritual map intended to help the deceased navigate the afterlife.

I was impressed with this novel, and also with the author’s obvious knowledge of Egyptian archaeology and social anthropology, and also the interpretation of hieroglyphics. The storyline is sometimes a bit confusing, but on the whole I enjoyed the journey as well as the concept of taking a fresh look at decisions that impact the rest of our lives.