Dawn MacDowell is a gifted Egyptologist with a specialty in The Book of Two Ways, the direction for ancient Egyptians to guide them in the afterlife. But while she is absorbed with the historical treatment of death, the reality hits too close to home when her mother tells her she is dying. Dawn must leave the work and the man she loves to be with her mother and care for her young brother. When her mother dies, she is trapped with the need to handle her mother’s debt and the care of her small brother. Egypt is so far away. Dawn runs away from her first loves and drawing on the experience she’s had with her mother, becomes a Death Doula, helping terminal patients deal with the myriad of things left unfinished. The struggle Dawn feels over her lost career, the man she loved first, the family and career she’s created conflict in heartbreaking ways.
When I started reading this book, I was afraid that the Egyptology portions which are so important to this book were beyond my understanding, but as Jodi Picoult is so good at doing, by the end of the book I just wanted more.
I loved this book. I enjoyed each level of the story and enjoyed the timeline hopping because it made it easy to understand why Dawn was so confused. I loved learning about the history of Egypt, Death Doula’s and even the quantum physics Dawn’s husband teaches. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine, and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance. The book will be published on September 22, 2020.
