The Immortalists

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: 
Washington Post • NPR • Entertainment Weekly • Real Simple • Marie Claire • New York Public Library • LibraryReads • The Skimm • Lit Hub

In the summer of 1969, four young siblings from a Jewish family on New York’s Lower East Side slip away to visit a mysterious woman rumored to tell people the exact date they will die. What she tells Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon Gold shapes the decades that follow. Benjamin traces each sibling’s life across the late twentieth century and into the early twenty-first, from the gay community of 1970s San Francisco to the world of Las Vegas magic, military medicine, and cutting-edge longevity research.

At its heart, the novel is a family saga rooted in Jewish life. The Golds are the children of a working-class immigrant family, and their story carries the texture of Jewish New York: the tailor’s shop, the synagogue, the rhythms of family obligation, and the memory of displacement that passes from one generation to the next. Mourning rituals such as shiva and Kaddish anchor the book’s emotional landscape, and the siblings’ differing responses to faith, tradition, and community reveal the many ways Jewish identity can be held, tested, and sometimes left behind.

The novel also draws on a deep Jewish engagement with the big questions it asks. Is our fate sealed, or do we shape it by choice? How should we live knowing we will die? Klara’s fascination with mysticism echoes the Kabbalistic tradition, while the siblings’ arguments with one another and with the prophecy recall the Jewish habit of wrestling with questions rather than settling them. Whether it is a fortune teller’s word, a scientist’s data, or a rabbi’s teaching, The Immortalists asks what it means to live fully in the shadow of mortality, and what a family owes to one another, to memory, and to the stories that outlast them.

“A literary page-turner...A really compelling plotline.” —The Wall Street Journal

“The only real magic here is Benjamin’s storytelling....Poignant...A testimony of love.” —The Washington Post

“[An] amazing work of fiction...A dense, yet beautifully spun and satisfying tale that spans 50 years...Spare, yet gorgeously robust prose...and every page is imbued with [Benjamin’s] obvious storytelling skill....Begin 2018 with the book that could easily retain the year’s top spot, The Immortalists is a can’t-put-down, makes-you-think tale of a not-so-average American family.” —Associated Press

“The book spans decades, touching on the AIDs crisis, 9/11, race, and marriage. But, at its core, it’s an examination of free will and fate.” —The New Yorker

“The reader will likely be thoroughly taken by the world of the Gold siblings, in all its shades of brilliant color. It's not a totally comfortable realm, since we know all too well how this tale's going to end, but getting there is lovely.” —NPR.org

“Search no further for your inaugural 2018 book club pick.” —Elle

“Thrilling.” —Marie Claire

“A compelling family drama.” —Esquire

“Centered on four siblings and spanning decades, The Immortalists asks a seemingly simple yet unimaginably complex question: If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? The search for the answer makes for a sprawling, enchanting family saga.” —Entertainment Weekly (Must-List)

“Chloe Benjamin's family saga deftly explores destiny versus choice.” —US Weekly

“A family saga about love, destiny, living life and making choices that will cause readers to consider what to do with the time given them on this earth.” —Huffington Post

“Benjamin’s tale is propulsive and colorful, capturing moving truths about the way we handle the knowledge that we all eventually die....The premise...is brilliant and simple.” —Chicago Tribune

“Chloe Benjamin is a novelist to watch....The Immortalists weaves together philosophy and fortune-telling, to great effect....As deft and dizzying as a high-wire act...the reader is beguiled with unexpected twists and stylish, crisp prose....Unwittingly, this ambitious, unorthodox tale may change you too.” —The Economist

“Compelling.” —InStyle

“As you follow [the siblings] toward their fates in this magical family saga, you’ll appreciate the unexpected in your own life.” —Redbook

“A moving novel about the deep bonds of family.” —Southern Living

“Beautifully written and intricately detailed, it's impossible to put down and sure to be one of those books you've got to re-read again and again.” —Popsugar

“Intriguing premise...Beautifully written story.” —AARP

“Suspenseful, compassionate, inquisitive, and wholly captivating.” —Bustle

"Continually ratcheting up the tension...A Jewish-American family saga.” —Newsday

"[A] captivating family saga...Each of these four narrative strands is a mini marvel, but together they form a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of familial love and loss." —Lit Hub

“Magical...There are moments as taut as a thriller, where time disappears as you turn pages; and passages of quiet compassion.” —The Seattle Times

"[A] gorgeous, sweeping novel." —American Banker

“[Benjamin] casts a spell with...her affecting family saga.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A sweeping epic that will enchant you from cover to cover.” —Paste Magazine

“A page turner, as addictive as it is emotionally searing...Captivating, moving and addictive. It makes you think, feel, fall in love, and question how to b est live your days left on earth.” —Lambda Literary

“An intriguing setup for an immersive family saga.” —Toronto Star

“Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists is the very best kind of literary thriller, its suspense deriving from characters we care about deeply and surprises that feel embedded in our shared humanity. As profound a meditation on destiny as readers are likely to encounter.” —Richard Russo

“For someone who loves stories about brothers and sisters, as I do, The Immortalists is about as good as it gets. A memorable and heartfelt look at what might happen to a family who knows too much. It's amazing how good this book is.‎” —Karen Joy Fowler

“A beautiful, compassionate, and even joyful novel. Chloe Benjamin has written an inspiring book that makes you think hard about what you want to do with the time you’re given. This is not really a book about dying—it's a book about how to live.” —Nathan Hill, author of The Nix