The Immortalists

From Goodreads: If you were told the date of your death, how would it shape your present?

It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.

Their prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11, hoping to control fate; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.

I firmly believe that some books find us at just the right time. And while literary fiction can be hit or miss for me, I absolutely adored this book. It's less about the prophecy and more about what choices these four uniquely different siblings make. 

The book is divided into sections, each focusing specifically on one sibling. I found myself crying in public after the first section and knew I was hooked. There were a few scenes throughout that were a BIT much for me (hello, sensitive reader) but overall I adored this book. I think Benjamin does a fantastic job bringing Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon to life and I truly savored my time with them. There were so many lines I found myself reading and re-reading, including the closing lines. I finished a few days ago and I'm still thinking about this story and the final pages. 

Overall, I found The Immortalists to be remarkable and absolutely captivating. It forced me to slow down to really soak in the beauty of the Gold family. I'm so glad I held onto this book for  a few weeks before reading as it was the perfect way to kick off my reading in 2018. Already, it's found a spot on my favorite books list. This book is out in the world TODAY so do yourself and snag a copy. I hope you love it as much as I did. 

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for gifting me this early finished copy. All opinions my own.