What readers think of The Immortalists, plus links to write your own review.

What if you knew far in advance the exact date you would die? That is the premise of this exceptional book by Chloe Benjamin. In 1969 in the New York City, four siblings—Varya (age 13), Daniel (11), Klara (9) and Simon (7)—meet with a gypsy fortuneteller, and she tells them the date on which they each will die. How does that information change the way they live? The answer is: drastically.

The story follows each of the siblings as they grapple with something no one should know. All four handle the knowledge differently—and weirdly, they really don't question it—from fearless living to fearful living. Are we fated to live life a certain way, or can we make choices that change our destiny?

Superbly written with keen insight probing the meaning of life and death, joy and grief, this provocative book is a fascinating study into the human psyche and the abiding love of family.

THE IMMORTALISTS follows four children throughout their lives. The children visit a woman who tells them their death date. That knowledge compels each of the young people to follow a different pathway through life. A gay boy who is uncertain of his sexuality and self-worth, a girl who may be suffering from a mental illness and infatuated by magic, a girl who is intellectually brilliant but socially inept and a boy who is the family’s “golden child” intent on doing everything perfectly make up this group of siblings.

Each one’s story is told in succession with little interaction between the siblings until each one’s death. Each story is compelling on its own. The characters are well developed. Each life story has a clear beginning, middle and end. The place and time each sibling’s story covers is detailed and distinct.

An intriguing, well written, and aware novel delineating the difference between belief and science, reality and fantasy. The choices each sibling makes will resonate long after you finish reading.

A fascinating read that provoked a lot of discussion with my friends regarding the main premise. If you were offered the knowledge of the date of your death, would that information be welcome or despised? Four young children from the lower East Side in NYC visit a gypsy fortune teller who provides them with this information. How that knowledge influences each child becomes a focus by the author devoting a section to each character. She has done an amazing amount of research as each character is besotted by a different issue. Even the descriptive geography of San Francisco resonated as I had lived there and experienced the accuracy of the locations and atmosphere during that era. I did get bogged down in the very last section but I still say that one should really experience this unique novel with a unique premise. Not only will you get a fascinating story, but you will truly learn a great deal through each different character's quandary.