THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin

Do we really want to know when we will die?  Four young siblings sneak away to visit a gypsy fortuneteller in order to learn just that-- the day on which they will each die.  Only one, the oldest, Varya, is destined to reach old age, according to the fortuneteller.  The author cleverly tells each child’s life story in order of their supposed impending deaths, which is coincidentally youngest to oldest.  The first is Simon, who abandons high school at sixteen to run off to San Francisco with his sister, Klara.  She is the most unconventional of the siblings and aspires to make a living as a magician.  Next is Daniel, a military doctor whose job it is to ascertain if would-be soldiers meet the military’s health requirements.  (The irony here reminds me of a line from Arlo Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” in which he finds that he “may not be moral enough to join the army.”)  The impact of the gypsy’s predictions is significant for all four siblings, even Varya, a research scientist who performs anti-aging experiments on primates.  As the book progressed, I had to wonder if all four siblings had mental health issues, especially considering how obsessed they are with such a specific prediction that no one could possibly have the power to foretell.  In any case, this novel is all about dying, and I have to say that, although the premise is intriguing, the storyline is ultimately depressing.  The most uplifting scene is near the end of the novel when a beloved character reappears, and I just had to smile and breathe in the joy of that moment that rises up out of a sea of doom and gloom.