In 1969 in New York City, four siblings walk to Hester Street. Varya at thirteen is the eldest. Daniel is eleven, Klara is nine, and Simon is the youngest at seven. Daniel is leading the way. They pass their father's tailor shop but continue on to an old apartment building. They seek a woman who tells fortunes. She can even tell you the day you will die.

Each child must go into the woman's apartment alone. Each child leaves altered, never to be the same.

Klara is the first to enter the fortune teller's apartment. Next came Daniel, then Simon, and last of all Varya. "What if I change," Varya asks, upset by what she learns. "Then you'd be special. 'Cause most people don't."

In The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin offers readers a book with big ideas that also reads like butter, an addictive story that lures one on into deeper waters. Each sibling's history is revealed with its impact upon the others. Are the choices they make a reflection of what they believe will come? 

Simon and Klara are the risk-takers who leave home for San Francisco. Simon embraces an open life as a gay man, becoming a dancer in a gay club. Klara is obsessed with the grandmother, a performer whose specialty was hanging suspended in midair from a rope which she held in her teeth. Klara pursues magic and performance, imitating her grandmother's famous act.

Daniel and Varya take no risks. Daniel leads a solid life as a military doctor and family man. Varya becomes a researcher in longevity, struggling with obsessive disorder, especially about health.

In her struggle to overcome her losses and fears, Varya learns that the power of words can change the past, and the future, and the present.

This book is going to make a big splash.

I will warn that Simon's story, the first to be revealed, includes descriptions of gay sex and the pre-AIDS San Francisco gay scene. Varya's story includes lab animal testing; Benjamin's research into animal testing moved her and she offers a link to the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

I received a free ebook in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Not my style of book, at all. The reviews made it sound fantastic, but the writing was harsh and depressing. I don't want to spend my time in a world like that.

I will not be reviewing the book as it seems very unfair to base a review on only a portion of the book.

My favorite read of 2017 was this 2018 release. Loved the relationships between the siblings. Loved the opening scene in the city. Was fascinated by the theme of fate versus free will. Took one star off because the 2nd half was not as strong as the first.

When Varya, Daniel, Klara and Simon sneak out of their apartment to see a fortune teller known to predict your date of death, they did not foresee how their lives would be impacted. Simon’s story is told first, the story of a young man, lost and trying to find himself in San Francisco. Klara is next, always wanted to be a magician, but suffering with personality disorders. Daniel, a military doctor, who has not gotten over the fates of his siblings, and tries to find the fortune teller. And finally, Varya, tied up with OCD and her efforts to find the secrets of a long life. An intense story, I was sucked in to this different novel.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 2/5 stars

**REVIEW IS SPOILERISH**

The Immortalists falls into the category of reads where I find myself questioning whether I liked the read or not. The only way to sort out the answer is with a list of likes and dislikes.

Likes:
I like the premise of this read, the idea of the power of suggestion and how it impacts a person throughout his or her life. In this instance, four children, at far to young an age, were told by a gypsy woman the dates of each of their respective deaths which in turn wreaks havoc on their lives from that moment forward. As the children grow into adults, each tries, without much success to forge a path, a life out from under the shadow of a death date.

Dislikes:
Unfortunately, the promise of the premise utterly fell apart as the story unfolded. From the moment the children discover their respective death dates, each travel along a collision course headlong toward what becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. For a time, each of the four siblings find a small measure of happiness – Simon in his dancing and relationship, Klara in her daughter, Daniel in his ability to help others, and Varya in her work – but, it isn’t enough, in the end, to sustain any of them.

The book is broken into four sections, one for each of the siblings and each is sadder, more pathetic than the last. Simon is very much a product of his time and place, Klara is a product of undiagnosed/untreated mental illness, Daniel is a victim of his own obsession, and Varya, well, I’m still not sure what went sideways with her. Ultimately, each of siblings feels helpless in the face of a death sentence and rather than fight, they give in to what they each clearly see as the inevitable. This giving up, the sense of doom and inevitability is the root of my displeasure with this book. None of these siblings ever reached out to anyone for help, sought to help one another, and no one in their lives, apparently, cared enough to encourage them to seek help. Furthermore, each sibling is so caught up in his or her own life and BS, weighed down by old hurts and betrayals, they can’t see a life beyond what they feel is a fixed moment in time. To this end, each, even when in a relationship, becomes so isolated as to become quite hopeless. From page one, it is clear this read there is going to be nothing but waste, waste of talents and more importantly, a waste of lives.

The Bottom Line: The Immortalists is one of those reads I fully expected to like and found very much lacking in the end. In the end, I was very much disappointed by the characters in this book, literally every one of them. All the siblings, all four of them had every opportunity to help themselves and one another yet, none of them took such steps and/or measures. In large part, I stuck with this book because I kept hoping someone would finally pull their head and do the right thing. Though one of the siblings does end up living, it isn’t much of a life and it’s filled with the guilt of knowing how little help was offered and/or given to her siblings. In the end, I found this book tragic in the worst sense possible as well as frustrating beyond belief.

How would you live your life if you knew the time of your death? The Immortalists, tells the story of four siblings whose lives were forever changed by a visit to a fortune teller when they were kids. It is an intriguing concept that never quite comes to fruition. Each of the four children had a story to tell as they led their separate lives but the power of family was muted and never gave it the sharp focus I think it needed. In my opinion, the center of the story should have been Gertie, the matriarch of the family who lost everyone and yet endured.

I enojed this book. The multiple perspectives within the same family made for a robust narrative. I would not use this in my high school classroom. One of the characters actively pursues sexual relationships and some of these are described in detail.

Chloe Benjamin has written an engrossing and deeply moving saga of four close siblings and how their life paths develop and eventually diverge. The characterizations illuminated their separate stories, and even descriptions of the supporting characters contributed freshness and realism. A worthwhile read!

This book was not what I expected and after a few chapters, I decided i could no longer continue. It was not for me.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC - I was unfortunately unable to read this one.

One summer day in 1969, four young siblings visit a fortune teller in New York to learn the dates of their deaths. Over the next several decades, the reader is transported from New York to San Francisco and back again as each sibling grows up--some older than others--and nears their foretold demise. With their morbid fortunes in mind, each sibling has their own way of seeking immortality, making this book a creative and beautifully told twist on the classic question: "What would you do if you knew when you were going to die?"

This is the story four children who in 1969 went to visit a fortune teller. This was no ordinary fortune teller - the only fortune she tells people is the exact date they will die. This fateful vist haunts each of the children their entire lives and the repercussions are enormous. Varya, Daniel, Klara and Simon have individual sections in the book that tell their stories and how the fortune teller's revelation influenced each of them.

A very interesting story. I don't think I would want to know the date of my death. Although it might help you prepare for it, it would affect your life in many ways.

This is the first book I've read by Chloe Benjamin and I enjoyed the writing style. The narrative flowed nicely and the characters were well-developed. I enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the book.

Thanks to Chloe Benjamin and Penguin Group PUTNAM through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Such an interesting and unique premise! If you could know the date of your death, would you want to? Does knowing the date, make it become a self fulfilling prophecy? The story of the four Gold siblings over their lifetimes is certainly an interesting take on a coming of age story. While Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya are different as could be, I think there are truly identifiable qualities in each of them. On the last night of their father’s Shiva, they go to a fortune teller and learn the date they will die. It’s incredibly interesting to see how each sibling reacts and how their lives are shaped as a result. Benjamin certainly offers a ton of food for thought here.

Engaging premise, panoramic plot, and the what would you do favor is large.

Was not looking for depictions of graphic gay sex. Hard pass.

I was drawn to this book because of its gorgeous cover but the story inside is amazing. If you could know exactly when you would die what would you do? That's the question these characters answer for themselves.

Upon finishing this book, I have two words: Have. Mercy.

When I tell you this entire treasure was stunning, it’s not hyperbole.

Benjamin grabbed me from the first page, and didn’t release me until the last: this story flowed from page to page, like the River Lea, and it left me pondering a million questions about how true a life I’m actually living—how much of a student am I still allowing myself to be?

While the concept is presented as four siblings being given an opportunity to know their date of death—and what they do with that information—this is not just some fantastical tale of witch craft and gypsies. No, more than anything it’s a story about “free will”.

Whether you believe in God or not, you can’t deny the fact that we’re all entitled to our choices. Some of us choose to make good ones, while others of us do not.

How we choose to live our lives, according to whatever circumstances we’re provided, is the difference between one person’s tragedy and another’s triumph.

What struck me about the road each sibling takes, following the revelation of their death date—and Benjamin brilliantly allows each sibling to have their own section—is how having that knowledge guided them into decisions they may not have otherwise made.

I won’t give anything away because the beauty of this book lay in the tremendous storytelling of Benjamin; but as I devoured the journeys of Simon, Klara, Daniel, and Varya, I found myself wanting to truly define the role fate truly plays in our lives: do we have actual agency or are we simply puppets in a play? …And I asked that as one who is a believer in a Higher Power.

I cannot day enough good things about this book, and I will definitely be recommending it to a few friends once its officially released. It’s one that would be fantastic for book clubs and it will certainly inspire a mass of conversation in the circles I traverse on a regular basis.

I loved it!

Fantastic story of four siblings and their childhood visit to a fortuneteller who accurately predicts their date of death. A psychological thrill ride through their lives and destinies as each seeks to beat the clock and live the life of their dreams knowing too much. Poignant, funny, and character rich, this novel will keep you reading. Gritty and raw at times, this story feels very "real" and is thoroughly engaging!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

I will start by saying this book completely blew me away as I was expecting something completely different from what I got. The blurb itself doesn't really tell you much that there is to know about this book, and I actually love that.

I will also say this book is not going to be for everyone. It's a thinker for sure, and it also includes a couple gay sex scenes which I was not expecting. The descriptions were actually a little disturbing for me, not having read anything like that before. I wanted to point this out so other readers are aware.

Anyway, moving on, The Immortalists is my very first read from Chloe Benjamin and it will definitely not be my last. It is a pretty heavy read so make sure you go in knowing that. It was fairly depressing, but also hopeful at the same time if that makes sense. My heart really broke for this family and everything they experienced, and it really does take a deeper look into destiny vs choice like the blurb mentions.

This book was beautifully written and I was completely engrossed in it; I definitely had a hard time putting it down. I think this will be a very fast read for most people as well. My favorite Gold child was Klara, and I really loved reading her section. I think that is because of the magical aspect to her story. This book is also descriptive enough for me without going overboard like a lot of books do in my opinion.

Also, in small world randomness, this book mentions the college of St. Olaf which happens to be very near the place I grew up! I love when I can pick things like that out of the books I read.

Overall this was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it.