Title: The Immortalists – a Novel.
Author: Chloe Benjamin
@ChloeKBenjamin
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Publication Year: 2018 ed.
Genres: Literary Fiction/ Fantasy
Format: Ebook (Kindle).
Amazon: https://a.co/d/aRvmaVH
My Rating: 4/5 stars.
Forewarning: This novel features sensitive scenes of an HIV-infected character.
Summary
Ever since the Gold children: Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon are told the dates of their deaths by a fortune teller in their childhood vicinity, they become afraid, obsessed, and affected by it. Varya becomes a scientist/researcher who studies primates for an antidote to delaying death; Daniel is a military doctor who determines if the deployed are fit to serve; Klara is a successful magician in Las Vegas; and Simon, the youngest, an adult dancer at a gay club in Northern California.
.
As much as they have achieved their dreams and all, the fortune teller’s prophecies haunt and chastise them throughout their lives. But could their pains have been prevented, had the notion that the magical woman is a fraud and her gift just a way to make a living, been known?
.
Reaction
This was definitely deserving of its New York Times bestseller accolade. I was riveted by it, the suspense and the tragedies all sorrowful and brutal. I was squeamish during Simon’s affliction with HIV. I sympathized with Klara’s ambitious yet futile magician career and related to Daniel’s fragile, occupational endeavor. The only character without much of a storm is the eldest, Varya. However, having a ghost from her past visit her in her prime is cruel in comparison to her siblings’ fates.
.
I recommend this sorrowful read to all who may wonder what predestination feels and looks like and to those who may be curious about a historical family saga (fictional) with a fantastical twist.
Author: Chloe Benjamin
@ChloeKBenjamin
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Publication Year: 2018 ed.
Genres: Literary Fiction/ Fantasy
Format: Ebook (Kindle).
Amazon: https://a.co/d/aRvmaVH
My Rating: 4/5 stars.
Forewarning: This novel features sensitive scenes of an HIV-infected character.
Summary
Ever since the Gold children: Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon are told the dates of their deaths by a fortune teller in their childhood vicinity, they become afraid, obsessed, and affected by it. Varya becomes a scientist/researcher who studies primates for an antidote to delaying death; Daniel is a military doctor who determines if the deployed are fit to serve; Klara is a successful magician in Las Vegas; and Simon, the youngest, an adult dancer at a gay club in Northern California.
.
As much as they have achieved their dreams and all, the fortune teller’s prophecies haunt and chastise them throughout their lives. But could their pains have been prevented, had the notion that the magical woman is a fraud and her gift just a way to make a living, been known?
.
Reaction
This was definitely deserving of its New York Times bestseller accolade. I was riveted by it, the suspense and the tragedies all sorrowful and brutal. I was squeamish during Simon’s affliction with HIV. I sympathized with Klara’s ambitious yet futile magician career and related to Daniel’s fragile, occupational endeavor. The only character without much of a storm is the eldest, Varya. However, having a ghost from her past visit her in her prime is cruel in comparison to her siblings’ fates.
.
I recommend this sorrowful read to all who may wonder what predestination feels and looks like and to those who may be curious about a historical family saga (fictional) with a fantastical twist.