Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
The Immortalists summary
Chloe Benjamin
Brief summary
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is a thought-provoking novel that follows four siblings who, as children, visit a fortune teller who predicts the dates of their deaths. The book explores the impact of this knowledge on their lives and raises questions about fate and free will.
Topics
Table of Contents
The Immortalists
Summary of key ideas
A Family's Fateful Fortunes
In The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, we meet the four Gold siblings: Simon, Klara, Daniel, and Varya. The story begins in 1969, when they visit a fortune teller who claims to predict the date of their deaths. The siblings' reactions to their supposed fates shape their lives in profound ways.
Simon, the youngest, is told he will die young, and so he lives life with a sense of urgency. He moves to San Francisco to embrace his homosexuality and eventually succumbs to AIDS. Klara, with her predicted death date looming in her mind, becomes a magician and marries a man named Raj. However, her sense of impending doom leads her to take increasingly dangerous risks in her performances.
Life's Unexpected Turns
On the other hand, Daniel, who was told he would die at 30, becomes a military doctor, hoping to outrun his fate. He ends up dying in a firefight in Iraq at the age of 30, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Meanwhile, Varya, the eldest, devotes her life to science, working in a lab researching longevity. Her fear of death is so profound that it leads her to isolate herself emotionally and physically.
As the years pass, the Gold siblings' lives diverge, but they remain connected by their shared experiences and their mother's influence. The novel explores themes of fate versus free will, the power of belief, and the lengths we go to in order to control our destinies.
Confronting Their Fates
Decades later, the surviving Gold siblings reunite at their family home to confront their shared past, their fears, and the question of whether their fates were truly sealed by the fortune teller's predictions. They come to realize that their lives were shaped not by their predicted deaths, but by their reactions to those predictions.
As the story unfolds, Varya, who has dedicated her life to avoiding death, is forced to confront her fear head-on. She undergoes a risky experiment in an attempt to extend her life, only to realize that the pursuit of immortality has caused her to miss out on truly living.
Embracing Life and Death
In the end, The Immortalists is an exploration of the human experience, the inevitability of death, and the importance of living fully in the time we have. The novel doesn't provide easy answers, but it does offer a poignant reminder that life is about more than just the number of years we have – it's about how we choose to live them.
As the Gold siblings come to terms with their mortality, they find a sense of peace and acceptance, realizing that the only way to truly live is to embrace the uncertainty of life and the inevitability of death. In doing so, they find a kind of immortality in the memories they've created and the impact they've made on the world around them.
How do we create content on this page?
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Immortalists about?
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin follows the lives of four siblings who, as children, visit a fortune teller who claims to be able to predict the day they will die. The book explores how this knowledge shapes their choices and destinies, delving into themes of fate, family, and the search for immortality.
The Immortalists Review
The Immortalists (2018) follows four siblings who, in their youth, visit a psychic who reveals the dates of their deaths. Here's why this book is a compelling read:
- Explores the complexities of destiny and choice as each sibling's life unfolds in unexpected ways based on the foretold dates.
- Touches on themes of family, love, and mortality, prompting reflection on one's own beliefs and priorities.
- The novel's engaging storyline and diverse characters offer a rich exploration of how we navigate the mysteries of life and death.
Who should read The Immortalists?
Readers who enjoy thought-provoking and philosophical explorations of life and death
Those interested in the impact of belief and destiny on individuals' choices and experiences
People who appreciate multi-layered storytelling and complex, well-developed characters
Categories with The Immortalists
Book summaries like The Immortalists
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
32 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Immortalists FAQs
What is the main message of The Immortalists?
Following four siblings who seek to defy fate, The Immortalists explores the power of belief and the consequences of knowing one's fate.
How long does it take to read The Immortalists?
Reading The Immortalists can take a few hours. The Blinkist summary takes about 15 minutes.
Is The Immortalists a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Immortalists is worth reading for its intricate exploration of destiny and its impact on choices. A compelling tale full of twists.
Who is the author of The Immortalists?
The author of The Immortalists is Chloe Benjamin.
What to read after The Immortalists?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Immortalists, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
- Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, Judith L. Raiskin
- Just After Sunset by Stephen King
- Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
- Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye
- Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nunzio DeFilippis
- Side Jobs by Jim Butcher