Friday Reads: The Immortalists

Finally Friday! What would you do if you knew-- exactly-- how much longer you had to live? Public Services Librarian Kelly Clever has been reading The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, which explores that question.

Kelly Clever with The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

"The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin was my book club's pick for April. Four siblings, ages seven to 13, go to see a fortune-teller in the summer of 1969. This woman has a specialty: She claims that she can tell you the exact date that you will die. The kids go in to see her one-by-one, and what they hear will impact the course-- and possibly the lengths-- of their lives.

"I was hooked by page seven. Are the prophecies true or was the woman a con artist? Why did she tell the children to keep what she told them to themselves? We know what the oldest girl's prediction is, but what about the younger three?

"If you've wrestled with the idea of fate versus free will, or wondered if you would live your life differently if you knew how much of it you had left, or been close with and paradoxically distant from your family, you'll enjoy the concepts explored in The Immortalists.

"As for me? I'm glad I don't know 'my date.' Who wants a countdown clock to THAT on their phone?"