Book Ends: The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

The Book of Two Ways is actually a book of three ways. First there is the topic of Egyptology and the two paths to the afterworld, water or land. Then there is Quantum Physics and the concept of dual universes and finally there is Dawn's story and the two lives she could have lived. In this book, all three are explored rather heavily. 

Dawn Edelstein, is the main character, She was a graduate student in Egyptology and on a dig in Egypt when she gets the call that her mother is dying. She has a 13 year old brother who she now needs to raise. She leaves the love of  her life, Wyatt, behind in Egypt. She marries Brian, who is a physicist, and they have a daughter Merit. These are the two paths the  novel explores.

Anyone who reads a Jodi Picoult book knows they’re going to learn things they probably didn’t know before.  The downside to The Book of Two Ways is that it is a bit overwhelming. Picoult certainly did her research, but while I found some aspects of Egyptology interesting, there was a lot that I just couldn’t grasp or didn't care to. I found myself skimming some long passages, mostly with hieroglyphics, until the story went back to the main plot. The same holds for the discussions about quantum physics. Just simply too much. Who gives a physics 101 lecture to someone in a hospital waiting room.

I also found the chronology hard to grasp. The prologue is misleading and that doesn't give an assist to the the story line.

I liked the three main characters but didn't need to read about their life work in such detail.