I finished Chloe Benjamin’s second novel, The Immortalists, over two months ago but for various reasons (involving the end of an academic semester and a trip to China) haven’t sat down to complete my review. However, last night a chance discussion at my book club reminded me that I wanted to get my thoughts/impressions of this book on paper now rather than later. The Immortalists is our selection for later this fall, and one of our members had just gotten a copy of the novel from […]
If You Knew When You Would Die, Would It Make You Take Risks or Avoid Them?
It’s the middle of summer in 1969 New York, and the Gold children, Varya (13), Daniel (11), Klara (9) and Simon (7), are bored. As a result, it does not take much convincing to visit a fortune teller who can predict the day someone will die. Klara, already fascinated with magic, simply wants to meet someone who works in magic; the rest of the children have other motivations or are propelled along, some more interested than others, since they have nothing better to do. This […]
The Cannonballist
“And what if I change?” It seems impossible that Varya’s future is already inside her like an actress just offstage, waiting decades to leave the wings. “Then you’d be special. ‘Cause most people don’t.” In 1969 the Gold children visit a fortune teller who can let you know the exact date of your death. While the foursome don’t share their fates with one another the information they receive shapes their futures. Benjamin divides her story into parts based on whose perspective the reader is privy […]
Thoughts have wings.
This one is an interesting look at the relationships of four siblings through the lens of one shared experience in childhood. After hearing that a fortune-teller in the neighborhood can tell you the exact date of your death, Daniel (11) coaxed his siblings Varya (13), Klara (9) and Simon (7) to pay her a visit. Four bored kids looking for something to pass the time in the hot city summer are each given a date that will shape the trajectory of their lives. They began […]