For those of you that haven't or couldn't attend book club lately, we'll be publishing the previous months' discussion questions here. I hope eventually to post discussion questions for all of the books we've covered since I took over a couple of years ago and beyond, all the way to the beginning over a decade and a half ago. It will take a while. Until then, we will be posting discussion questions on a weekly basis. Here are the questions from a 2019 title, The Immortalists. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.
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The Immortalists
by Chloe Benjamin
Summary:
If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?
It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.
The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.
A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.
Discussion Questions
What does the title The Immortalists represent?
THE IMMORTALISTS explores the degree to which we shape our own destinies. Do you believe that the siblings’ fate was preordained? Why or why not?
The novel takes place in very different settings --- 1960s New York City, the San Francisco dance scene, glitzy Las Vegas hotels. In what ways do these locations affect the characters? Why do you think all four of the siblings moved away from New York City?
THE IMMORTALISTS is narrated by the four siblings in separate sections. What was your reading experience when you switched sections? Did you identify more closely with certain siblings?
The power of belief --- whether it be magic, religious faith or storytelling --- is an important theme in the novel. How does belief affect each of the siblings? What is different or similar about the stories they tell themselves?
Are these siblings dying on the specified date because of fate or is it choice?
Do you believe any of the Gold siblings truly lived life to the fullest?
At its heart, THE IMMORTALISTS is a family love story, exploring both past and future generations of the Gold family. In what ways does family history shape us? What kind of legacies do the four siblings leave behind?
Do you think Simon would have gone to San Fransisco had he not visited the psychic? Would he have had the same fate if he stayed in New York?
Why was Klara so enamored by magic?
How do magic and reality blur in the novel? Were there any particular moments that seemed to defy logic? Why are certain characters drawn to magic and the unknowable more than others?
Were you surprised by Daniel’s decision to confront the psychic? Why do you think he couldn’t let it go? How did the argument with Raj impact him? What was he trying to prove to everyone?
Discuss the siblings’ significant others: Raj, Mira and Robert. How are their lives affected by the prophecy? How do romantic and familial relationships interact and contrast in THE IMMORTALISTS?
Let’s talk the dynamic between Ruby and Gertie, one of the few happy relationships in this read.
At the end of the novel, Gertie tells Varya about the beauty and freedom in uncertainty, questioning why her children believed the fortune teller. Did you believe the fortune teller? What gives the fortune teller her power? What freedoms does uncertainty bring?
How does Varya’s OCD impact her ability to live a ‘normal’ life? Why do you think she’s so cold in nature? Were you surprised she had a baby that she gave up?
What do you imagine happens to Varya after the book’s ending? How have her views on longevity and death changed?
Were you satisfied by the ending? Why or why not?
Would you want to find out the date of your death? How would you live your life differently if you had this information?
What is the significance of Eddie O’Donoghue? He was such a minor character and yet, he was a common thread in all four of the siblings’ stories.
What do you think happened to Ruby in the end?
Do you think Varya dies on her assigned day or changed her destiny?
Three of the siblings had significant others, yet only one character has sex scenes -and many of them- what is the importance of the sex or lack thereof for each character?
In what way did the Golds’ religion shape their stories? How do you think the story would be different if it had featured a Christian or Muslim family?
Why do you think the Gold siblings couldn’t shake the fortuneteller’s predictions?
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