The premise of The Immortalists was very interesting. What happens when you learn the day you will die? How does it affect your life, your choices? How does the knowledge change you, especially when you are young and impressionable, still developing your personality? Is the prophecy of your death-day a fact, or self-fulfilling? Following four siblings through their lives and choices, the book explores this idea. In this area, I felt the book excelled. The reader is left pondering this long after the book ends. Each sibling - Simon, Klara, Daniel, Varya - is very different and takes this knowledge in different ways. They live unique lives and have very different personalities.
However, that is where my interest in the book wanes. I had many issues with it:
First of all, I actually detested the four siblings. I found all four of them selfish and entitled. They think as if they care about others, but I felt it was very shallow, superficial, and in action often sabotaged things. I did like the secondary characters except for the mother; I felt they interested me much more.
Second of all, the writing was fraught with issues for me. At times, especially with Simon, the language was crass, unnecessarily vulgar and sexual in descriptions. That is a turn off for me (no pun intended); I am not prudish, but I feel there is usually no real need for language or scenes like that in novels unless it is an erotic romance. Also, the point of view and past/present tenses switch a lot. While it is mostly in present tense, there are a lot of flashbacks and memories; and it mostly sticks to one character at a time but it does bounce a bit.
Thirdly, I found the plot itself lacking. I think if the author had stuck with one sibling it would have been better. Each sibling is vastly different in scope: Simon and the LGBTQ scene in 1980s San Francisco; Klara becoming a magician; Daniel struggling with issues in his career in his middle years; Varya the scientist in more contemporary times. I felt disappointed in each section, wishing there was more. Beyond that, the plot revolving around Eddie and the gypsy wasn't developed enough.
The book description made me think there would be some magical realism. For the most part, the book was more historical and contemporary fiction, literary fiction. Except....except with Klara. Understandable, Klara is a magician and has a fascination with magic. However, there are elements introduced in her segment that make no sense in the scheme of the book. Okay, her interest in what happens when you die and wanting to talk to her brother and father, that makes sense in a book where the day they'll die is prophecised. But there is a scene where a strawberry basically appears by magic. And this is not developed more past her section! Nor is trying to communicate with those who have died - this, especially, disappointed me. It made Klara's section entirely incongruous with the rest of the book.
However, that is where my interest in the book wanes. I had many issues with it:
First of all, I actually detested the four siblings. I found all four of them selfish and entitled. They think as if they care about others, but I felt it was very shallow, superficial, and in action often sabotaged things. I did like the secondary characters except for the mother; I felt they interested me much more.
Second of all, the writing was fraught with issues for me. At times, especially with Simon, the language was crass, unnecessarily vulgar and sexual in descriptions. That is a turn off for me (no pun intended); I am not prudish, but I feel there is usually no real need for language or scenes like that in novels unless it is an erotic romance. Also, the point of view and past/present tenses switch a lot. While it is mostly in present tense, there are a lot of flashbacks and memories; and it mostly sticks to one character at a time but it does bounce a bit.
Thirdly, I found the plot itself lacking. I think if the author had stuck with one sibling it would have been better. Each sibling is vastly different in scope: Simon and the LGBTQ scene in 1980s San Francisco; Klara becoming a magician; Daniel struggling with issues in his career in his middle years; Varya the scientist in more contemporary times. I felt disappointed in each section, wishing there was more. Beyond that, the plot revolving around Eddie and the gypsy wasn't developed enough.
The book description made me think there would be some magical realism. For the most part, the book was more historical and contemporary fiction, literary fiction. Except....except with Klara. Understandable, Klara is a magician and has a fascination with magic. However, there are elements introduced in her segment that make no sense in the scheme of the book. Okay, her interest in what happens when you die and wanting to talk to her brother and father, that makes sense in a book where the day they'll die is prophecised. But there is a scene where a strawberry basically appears by magic. And this is not developed more past her section! Nor is trying to communicate with those who have died - this, especially, disappointed me. It made Klara's section entirely incongruous with the rest of the book.