In The Immortalists, Daniel drags his three siblings to see a psychic, who tells them the exact dates they will die. After that, the story is divided into four parts, each following a sibling through events in their lives. The premise of this book is captivating and interesting, yet this book falls so disappointingly short of its potential.
For a start, most of the characters in this book are selfish, needy, and unlikable. Simon, the youngest, wants to spreads his wings and move to another city. When he does, two of his siblings tries to guilt trip him into coming back, badgering him about how now that he has left home, they have to give up schooling to move back in with their mother. I guess their able-bodied mother can't live alone. And his mother gives him an ultimatum to either return to living with her immediately or don't bother seeing her again. Who needs enemies when you have unreasonable family members like that?
Then there's Daniel, who blames everyone but himself for his lack of closeness with his family. When his niece comes to visit him, he laments how nice it would be to see her more, then proceeds to chew her father out. Obviously, they don't visit often. He then goes on to blame the psychic for ruining everyone's life, when he was the one who sought her out to begin with and she only gave them the information he requested. I can't stand characters who don't take responsibility for their own actions, and this book is full of them.
The writing is just ok. It includes some questionable moments, such as the book starting off with a description of one of the siblings' body, including her nipple color and the patch of fur between her legs. She was thirteen at the time, and was only just taking a walk (fully-clothed) with her siblings, so I don't understand why the description was even relevant. It's like the author is trying to be deep with something, but just came across as creepy.
Every once in a while, there is a good passage in the book, including some interesting thoughts on the immigrant experience, and the latter part of the section that focuses on Varya, when she realizes that she's responsible for her decisions and her life (wow, finally!).
But ultimately, the things I didn't like in this book outweighed the too-few portions of good. If you're considering this book, it might be worth a read for its interesting premise, but just be ready to set your expectations low.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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