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A review by cyntismiles
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really liked this book! It was recommended by one of my coworkers, I thought I read it but I hadn't so gave it a go!
I really liked the amount of time we spent with each character and how the author chose the timeline focus for each one. After the first section, I thought we were going to go "back to the beginning" with each one and redo all the events through their eyes. We did not and I was grateful. I found the scope of each character very artfully chosen and well done. I also enjoyed the "mystery" of the book and seeing how it affected each character.
I really liked how you could tell they were all siblings but at the same time so different. It felt very real to me. There was one specific trait all the characters had that felt very "off" to me but it was resolved in the end which I really enjoyed. I'll add it in the spoiler section if you are curious. All the characters consistently acted like they were the only people who had ever experienced family tragedy which was annoying. It took me until Clara's section to identify it esp. in regards to how she responded to her husband. I think it sheds a good light on moving forward with grief vs stagnating in grief. I was really happy to see this somewhat resolved in Varya's section
I was super sucked into this book and wanted to find out what would happen to each character. I was most interested in Varya's chapter/perspective so it was kind of a "save the best for last" situation for me. There was a lot of discussion of mental illness in this book and I thought it was done really well.
I would recommend if you are looking for an accessible novel that asks questions about the placebo effect, human nature, and self-fulfilling prophecy. It's interesting and reflective on the human condition and what we are all inevitably moving towards, death.
I really liked the amount of time we spent with each character and how the author chose the timeline focus for each one. After the first section, I thought we were going to go "back to the beginning" with each one and redo all the events through their eyes. We did not and I was grateful. I found the scope of each character very artfully chosen and well done. I also enjoyed the "mystery" of the book and seeing how it affected each character.
I really liked how you could tell they were all siblings but at the same time so different. It felt very real to me. There was one specific trait all the characters had that felt very "off" to me but it was resolved in the end which I really enjoyed. I'll add it in the spoiler section if you are curious.
I was super sucked into this book and wanted to find out what would happen to each character. I was most interested in Varya's chapter/perspective so it was kind of a "save the best for last" situation for me. There was a lot of discussion of mental illness in this book and I thought it was done really well.
I would recommend if you are looking for an accessible novel that asks questions about the placebo effect, human nature, and self-fulfilling prophecy. It's interesting and reflective on the human condition and what we are all inevitably moving towards, death.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Addiction, Xenophobia, Suicide, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Racism