The premise of this story is so simple yet so compelling... four siblings meet a fortune-teller who shares the date of their death with each one. Throughout the book, you get the perspective of each sibling, allowing you to really get to know them deeply. The way they see themselves and the understanding of the motivations for their actions is much deeper than if we were presented with a more removed perspective.
Benjamin is a talented writer, which makes the book immensely readable. I believe I got through it all in a day or two. I found Simon's story to be the most compelling, maybe because we don't have a gap in his story as he ages or maybe because I simply find his plotline the most compelling. I also found Klara's to be quite interesting. As the book went on, I found myself less invested in the lives of Daniel and Varya, maybe because we do miss out on such a chunk of their lives. Regardless, you still get a great sense of who each character is.
Benjamin is a talented writer, which makes the book immensely readable. I believe I got through it all in a day or two. I found Simon's story to be the most compelling, maybe because we don't have a gap in his story as he ages or maybe because I simply find his plotline the most compelling. I also found Klara's to be quite interesting. As the book went on, I found myself less invested in the lives of Daniel and Varya, maybe because we do miss out on such a chunk of their lives. Regardless, you still get a great sense of who each character is.