Family is never perfect. We may love our families, but sometimes, we cannot stand them.
The new novel, The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin starts off in 1969. Varya, Daniel, Klara and Simon Gold live in New York’s City Lower East Side with their immigrant parents. There is a rumor going around that a fortune-teller has moved into the neighborhood. Her specific gift is being able to see the date when her visitors leave this earth. Curiosity compels the Gold siblings to seek out this fortune teller and learn what their futures may hold.
Nearly a decade later, their father dies unexpectedly and the relationship between the siblings is forever changed. Simon and Klara head west to San Francisco. Simon becomes a dancer and Klara follows her dream of becoming a magician. Daniel finds job security as a doctor and faces issues with his career. Varya becomes a scientist and tries to blur the boundaries between science and immortality.
This book is amazing. While it is a little slow in the beginning,when it picks up, it really picks up. The main reason that I enjoyed it was that the relationships between the siblings were far from perfect and felt absolutely normal. Anyone with siblings would be able to recognize and appreciate the relationships between the main characters.
I absolutely recommend it.
Writergurlny 