#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light comes a “powerful” (The Washington Post) novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives.
Look for Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name, now available!NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
On sale: September 22, 2020
Grade: Grades 9-12
Page count: 432 Pages
ISBN: 9781984818355
Jodi Picoult is the #1
New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including
A Spark of Light,
Small Great Things,
Leaving Time,
The Storyteller,
Lone Wolf,
Sing You Home,
House Rules,
Handle with Care,
Change of Heart,
Nineteen Minutes, and
My Sister’s Keeper. She is also the author, with daughter Samantha van Leer, of two young adult novels,
Between the Lines and
Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.
“A thrilling adventure . . . With Picoult’s stories, there is always something new to learn, and
The Book of Two Ways is no exception. . . . A fun and interesting read, one that will lead readers to both learn a lot and also ask themselves key questions about how to create happy lives for themselves during the short time we have on earth.”
—Associated Press “
The Book of Two Ways is a return for Picoult to the themes of her earliest books—motherhood, complicated romantic love. . . . Picoult, at this point in her career, could skillfully build tension in a broom closet, but the best part of this book is not the suspense; it’s the look at the complexity of a woman as she enters middle age. . . . Picoult always tells both sides of a story not with judgment, but with grace.”
—The Washington Post “Jodi Picoult fans rejoice! . . .
The Book of Two Ways is one story you won’t be able to put down.”
—CNN “Asking life or death questions in perfect Picoult fashion.”
—Parade “[A] delightfully escapist, high-concept novel . . .
The Book of Two Ways nearly spills over in its earnestness and emotion. . . . This is a book of big, burning questions such as what defines a great life.”
—BookTrib
“Picoult’s fans will appreciate this multifaceted, high-concept work.”
—Publishers Weekly “Picoult’s fans will be more than ready for this puzzle of a novel. . . . [They] will find heady themes to consider.”
—Booklist “Jodi Picoult knows how to write allll the feels, and
The Book of Two Ways is no exception.”
—Cosmopolitan “Unputdownable.”—
E! Online “Riveting.”
—Womendotcom “If you didn’t already see Jodi’s name and preorder this one, let us convince you.”—
Good Housekeeping
