The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

If you knew the day you would die, how would you live?

Four siblings living in New York City 1969 hear rumors of a mystic in their midst and sneak out to hear their fortunes. She meets each on individually and tells them each the day that they will die.

The quick read gem is a page turner. I loved it.

The book is about the stories we tell ourselves and how that creates our own reality.

The thinking comes from, if you were told you would die young, do you live dangerously, therefore the prophecy comes true. Or if you are told you will love to be an old women you could take your time with your choices. And if you “knew” you would not die today, it was not your destiny – how would you live this very day.

The book struck a chord with me because my husband is a huge thinker, and on our first day he asked me “If anything you could dream could come true, what would you dream”.  I hold that in my heart each day. I think that is why I loved this book.

When one of the young girls heard her death date she thought she could change it.

And once they believed their dates they each chose to live their lives by a credo. Each different that then other. Only one sister knew all the dates.

One sister had a career in Magic, and decided life was short and she would follow that dream.

One of the brothers, after coming out moved to San Francisco when to live his life as intended as he had the shorted promised life. 

The book has some plot twist that have you questioning the mystic and her visions. I don’t want to give any of the book away. But the book dares you to think about, do you want to really live or just survive, dream and dare or play it safe.

The book is beautifully written. Sad in parts.

As we follow the life span of the family, we continue to ask ourselves if God has predestined these lives, or if the characters create them for themselves… which begs us to ask the question. You know you are going to die, so how are you living? Regardless of when, are you living today as you want to be living, fully.

I hope your answer was yes.

Read the great book: