The Immortalists absolutely rocked me. This is one of those books that grabs you, and refuses to let go until it’s completely upended you, turned you inside out, and left you a steaming pile of emotion. What would you do if you knew the date of your death? 4 siblings are about to find out. But is the woman who gives them this information really a seer? Or is the idea of the date she gives them such a powerful motivator that it turns them all into walking self-fulfilling prophecies? It’s been quite some time since I read a book like this one. It’s reinvigorated my love of the written word. She weaves the story, using words sparingly, but in such a fashion as to make the story pop off the page. It’s verbal painting, a symphony of sentences that blend together seamlessly. I don’t know if you can tell, but I really loved this book.
Simon, the youngest child, runs away to San Francisco with his “lost cause” sister. He’s a gay Jewish teenager and has never felt right in his own skin with his family. Klara, his sister is really the only one he’s ever been himself around. Through Simon we get a glimpse at life in the late 70s and early 80s in San Francisco, tantalizing peeks into ballet, the inner struggle of dealing with your own sexuality when the majority of the rest of the world calls it a sin, and the AIDS epidemic of the 80s. Its an uncomfortable, painful read, but also beautiful and moving.
Klara has always been drawn to magic. She’s a genius at sleight of hand, but she’s always been drawn to the more death defying acts. Perhaps because of, or in spite of, the date death she feels she’s running toward. No one in her family has ever really depended on her, and she’s dealing with the enormous grief she tries to drown in alcohol for the role her decisions played in shaping the lives of her family. Through Klara we get an idea of how alluring it can be to relinquish control to something else, and the delusions it can cause, even to the point of fulfilling prophecies.
Daniel, the oldest boy, has been the family rock for so long. He becomes a doctor, marries a nice young mostly Jewish girl, and helps take care of the mother left behind by the younger siblings. As the years pass though, his bitterness and regret over estranged siblings consumes his thoughts, to the point that he believes if he can just find the seer and make her admit to her wrong doing, he will stop the cycle of death, stop his feelings of guilt for having instigated the visit to the seer.
Varya. The oldest girl and seemingly coldest of the bunch. With her research into aging, and the gift of being told she will live a long, long life. The last Gold child left. Did she create the space between her and her siblings to protect herself from the loss she fervently believed in? Is her OCD something that would have developed on its own with her Jewish upbringing and the rituality that went into her faith? Or did it develop from a staunch belief that if she could just adhere to her rituals, she could prevent the loss of all of her siblings? I started the section on Varya thinking that she was the most one-dimensional. The one I could least relate with. I was completely blown away by how full and rich Varya became. There’s absolutely nothing shortchanged about her by the end of the book.
Chloe Benjamin has created something truly special with this book. If I didn’t know better, I would think I was truly reading the thoughts and feelings of 4 different people. 4 unique, individualized characters that have suffered through the realness and rawness of life. I absolutely adored this story and will be putting it on my hardback shelf of oft revisited stories.
Simon, the youngest child, runs away to San Francisco with his “lost cause” sister. He’s a gay Jewish teenager and has never felt right in his own skin with his family. Klara, his sister is really the only one he’s ever been himself around. Through Simon we get a glimpse at life in the late 70s and early 80s in San Francisco, tantalizing peeks into ballet, the inner struggle of dealing with your own sexuality when the majority of the rest of the world calls it a sin, and the AIDS epidemic of the 80s. Its an uncomfortable, painful read, but also beautiful and moving.
Klara has always been drawn to magic. She’s a genius at sleight of hand, but she’s always been drawn to the more death defying acts. Perhaps because of, or in spite of, the date death she feels she’s running toward. No one in her family has ever really depended on her, and she’s dealing with the enormous grief she tries to drown in alcohol for the role her decisions played in shaping the lives of her family. Through Klara we get an idea of how alluring it can be to relinquish control to something else, and the delusions it can cause, even to the point of fulfilling prophecies.
Daniel, the oldest boy, has been the family rock for so long. He becomes a doctor, marries a nice young mostly Jewish girl, and helps take care of the mother left behind by the younger siblings. As the years pass though, his bitterness and regret over estranged siblings consumes his thoughts, to the point that he believes if he can just find the seer and make her admit to her wrong doing, he will stop the cycle of death, stop his feelings of guilt for having instigated the visit to the seer.
Varya. The oldest girl and seemingly coldest of the bunch. With her research into aging, and the gift of being told she will live a long, long life. The last Gold child left. Did she create the space between her and her siblings to protect herself from the loss she fervently believed in? Is her OCD something that would have developed on its own with her Jewish upbringing and the rituality that went into her faith? Or did it develop from a staunch belief that if she could just adhere to her rituals, she could prevent the loss of all of her siblings? I started the section on Varya thinking that she was the most one-dimensional. The one I could least relate with. I was completely blown away by how full and rich Varya became. There’s absolutely nothing shortchanged about her by the end of the book.
Chloe Benjamin has created something truly special with this book. If I didn’t know better, I would think I was truly reading the thoughts and feelings of 4 different people. 4 unique, individualized characters that have suffered through the realness and rawness of life. I absolutely adored this story and will be putting it on my hardback shelf of oft revisited stories.