On July 25th we met to discuss Kathy`s book choice
which was "The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin.
Julie, Sarah, Kathy, Donna, Madeleine, Betsy, Nancy and I
attended. Kathy provided delicious pizza, which was served with salad and
Donna's brownies.
This was a different kind of book and a change from the
themes of world war 2 and slavery.
It is set in New York City in 1969 where word has spread of
a traveling psychic who can predict the day of death.
The four Gold children on the cusp of self awareness sneak out
to hear their fortune.
How did knowing the date of their deaths shape the life choices of
the four siblings? Was it destiny or choice, reality or illusion.
The first to die was the youngest boy Simon who heads to San Francisco
searching for love in the promiscuous gay community in the 80's.
Some thought the sex scenes were too overly graphic. Simon contracts AIDS just
as he finds love.
Next to die is dreamy Klara who becomes a Las Vegas magician
obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy. She actually commits suicide.
The Eldest son Daniel seeks security as an Army doctor who decides who
goes to war or not. He goes seeking the fortune teller and is bizarrely
shot by a detective who is investigating Klara's death.
The first three die on the predicted date at a fairly young age.
The eldest daughter Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she
tests the boundary between science and immortality.
The actual picture on the book cover depicts the "Tree of Life" which is
very symbolic given the subject of the book. The book although it deals with
death has a lot of living going on within it. We are exposed to the bonds
of family and is overall a saga of life.
So the reader has to ask them self the following questions
"Would I want to know the date of my death?"
"How would knowing affect my life going forward?"
Sarah chose "A piece of the World" by Christina Baker Kline
which is about painter Andrew Wyeth's iconic painting.
A date of Sept 26th was tentatively chosen.
