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A review by ketreads
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.5
This book was randomly picked up from a charity shop. I'm unfamiliar with Benjamin or her previous works but loved the idea of this books premise.
We follow 4 siblings who, in childhood, are each told the day they will die. We follow each sibling through their life stages and until their subsequent death.
MILD SPOILERS:
The premise? GREAT!
The set up? Amazing! Having them siblings could add so much nuance and mystery.
The execution? Lacking.
Me and my reading buddy, who I unfortunately dragged into reading this with me, felt like the pacing was this books weakest aspect. You're following 4 siblings and so expect their life's to intertwine, their deaths to have vast and meaningful impacts. Instead, each character section takes place YEARS after the previous siblings death. This not only jars the reader out of the setting and characters we were just following, but also makes the previous chapters lack any true influence on the narrative going forward.
The story would often pick up narrative threads in a sibling's life, such as Kara being able to hear her death brothers knocks on walls. These threads influence the character we're following in interesting ways and just as their narrative is ending you expect these threads to continue, develop, change. But no. They're dropped entirely and never mentioned again.
This happens MORE THAN ONCE, and by the end of the book, me and my reading buddy wondered what was even the point?
I've rated this 2.5 as I did find myself connecting and enjoying individual POVs, I just didn't enjoy how they were worked together.
We follow 4 siblings who, in childhood, are each told the day they will die. We follow each sibling through their life stages and until their subsequent death.
MILD SPOILERS:
The premise? GREAT!
The set up? Amazing! Having them siblings could add so much nuance and mystery.
The execution? Lacking.
Me and my reading buddy, who I unfortunately dragged into reading this with me, felt like the pacing was this books weakest aspect. You're following 4 siblings and so expect their life's to intertwine, their deaths to have vast and meaningful impacts. Instead, each character section takes place YEARS after the previous siblings death. This not only jars the reader out of the setting and characters we were just following, but also makes the previous chapters lack any true influence on the narrative going forward.
The story would often pick up narrative threads in a sibling's life, such as Kara being able to hear her death brothers knocks on walls. These threads influence the character we're following in interesting ways and just as their narrative is ending you expect these threads to continue, develop, change. But no. They're dropped entirely and never mentioned again.
This happens MORE THAN ONCE, and by the end of the book, me and my reading buddy wondered what was even the point?
I've rated this 2.5 as I did find myself connecting and enjoying individual POVs, I just didn't enjoy how they were worked together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Abandonment