The Book of Two Ways

I love Jodi Picoult. There are very few of her novels that I haven't read. But I really didn't love her latest, The Book of Two Ways. This is a novel with a great story line. It's about Dawn, a woman who is thrown a life curve. She's all set to get her doctorate in Egyptology when her mother lets her know that she's deathly ill. Being the dutiful, loving daughter and older sister that she is, she leaves Egypt and returns to Boston and her life is forever changed. Or is it? Are their second chances in life? 

Dawn becomes a death doula. She's a social worker who helps with non-medical end-of-year issues for patients and their caregivers. She's a support for them during a heartbreaking time. That's the story line that I most enjoyed reading. What "business" is most important for us to take care of before we die so we can go with  the fewest regrets. At least that's how I interpreted it. 

The part of  the novel that I didn't enjoy was all the scientific stuff. I could be interested culturally in the Egypt information, but some of it read too much like a textbook. I found the pictures of the hieroglyphics distracting while I was reading. Dawn's husband is some sort of science professor. I've already blanked out what kind and I just finished the book a few hours ago! Conversations about his work went totally over my head! Even Dawn's teenage daughter is a science geek and at one point she's talking about some experiment and I felt my eyes glaze over.

I read this on my own, but it would probably make a great book club book as there is so much to discuss.