51 pages • 1 hour read
Jodi PicoultThe Book of Two Ways
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Social Context: Death Doulas
Throughout The Book of Two Ways, Picoult confronts the topic of death from a variety of perspectives. Her choice to make Dawn’s character a death doula affords many opportunities to probe death—through her relationship with Win, her attitude toward her job, and the way she has come to understand dying all become a part of the narrative, informing the themes of the novel. Dawn has thought deeply about death, and her willingness to “get close to the things that make people uncomfortable” is what makes her profession possible for her (202).
At the time of the novel, the profession of death doula was relatively new, but quickly growing, in the United States. According to the National End-of-Life Alliance (NEDA), in 2022, approximately 1,300 death doulas were registered as members across the United States. In the late 1990s, the term “death doula” was adapted from birth doula, a person who supports a mother during the birth process and a profession that rose to prominence in the United States in the 1980s.
Dawn explains that “Doula is Greek for ‘woman who serves’—and just as birth doulas know that there’s discomfort and pain that can be managed during labor, death doulas do the same at the other end of the life spectrum” (51). Death doulas, sometimes called end of life doulas or death midwives, provide non-medical care to the dying. They offer a wide range of services and support to their clients, as well as caregivers, family, and friends. Their care is holistic and driven by the needs of each specific client, but always focused on helping the client to be comfortable with the idea of dying.
Death doulas offer different services than hospice, most notably the absence of medical treatment. Their care is holistic and client-centered. In The Book of Two Ways, Picoult explores the daily realities of the profession. Picoult highlights Dawn’s unique perspective and explores a variety of views about death.
Literary Context: Sliding Doors
Picoult explores how even the smallest decisions we make resonate throughout our lives. She imitates what has come to be known as a “sliding door” narrative. Sliding Doors (1998) is a film that follows Helen, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, as she either catches or misses a train. The movie splits into two concurrent narratives, one in which she catches the train and comes home to find her boyfriend cheating on her, and one in which she misses the train and does not discover the infidelity. The film follows Helen along these two paths, illustrating how even slight changes in our daily lives can have a huge impact on our future. Although it is not the first example of this narrative concept, the film has become a reference point for works of fiction and film that have similar narratives. These “sliding door” narratives feature a character reaching an intersection in their life, even one that may seem insignificant, at which point the story splits and explores both possible paths at the same time.
The Book of Two Ways is not a true sliding doors narrative, although it gives every appearance of being one. After the Prologue, the story seems to split in two, following Dawn’s paths to Egypt and Boston. Brian is a physicist who discusses his work on parallel universes in depth with Dawn. In addition, Dawn and Win often discuss the idea of alternate lives. With each of these references, Picoult reinforces the idea of the sliding door narrative in the reader’s mind. However, toward the conclusion, she reveals that the novel is actually one narrative thread that has been rearranged to appear as two, subverting the conventions of the sliding door narrative. Her use of a faux sliding door narrative increases tension and momentum. It puts the reader in Dawn’s position, placing her two lives and loves in direct contrast, chapter by chapter.
Related Titles
By Jodi Picoult
