The Immortalists

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of illness or death, mental illness and addiction

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What impact did the novel’s premise—each sibling knowing their death date—have on your reading experience and your perception of the characters’ decisions throughout The Immortalists?

3. How does The Immortalists compare to other novels that examine predetermined fate, such as Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, where generations seem bound to fulfill a prophecy?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Each Gold sibling reacts differently to Bruna’s prophecy: Simon embraces life recklessly, Klara becomes obsessed with bridging life and death, Daniel seeks revenge, and Varya attempts to control fate through science. Which response most reflects how you might react to knowing your death date?

2. What coping mechanisms do you turn to when facing difficult truths in your own life?

3. Have family secrets affected relationships within your own family similar to the ways they drive the Gold siblings apart?

4. Gertie tells Varya that “nobody picks their life” and that “you make choices, and then they make choices” (64). Do you see your own life as primarily shaped by your decisions or by circumstances beyond your control?

5. What rituals or traditions have helped you navigate difficult transitions?

6. In what ways do you seek control in your own life, similar to or different from Varya’s compulsive behaviors?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel portrays the AIDS epidemic in 1980s San Francisco through Simon’s experience. What insights did this historical context provide about how society treats emerging health crises and marginalized communities?

2. How do the intersecting experiences of discrimination throughout the story reflect ongoing social dynamics in America?

3. What responsibilities do authors have when portraying cultural practices of marginalized groups like the Romani people?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What role does the idea of “magical thinking” play in developing the central themes of The Immortalists?

2. Each sibling dies exactly as Bruna predicted, yet their paths to these deaths involve personal choices. Does Benjamin ultimately present fate or free will as the dominant force in the novel?

3. What symbolic significance do recurring totemic objects hold for different characters?

4. Why might Benjamin have chosen to structure the novel with four distinct sections in chronological order of the siblings’ deaths rather than their ages?

5. In what ways does Benjamin employ addiction as both a literal plot element and a metaphor throughout the narrative?

6. Benjamin’s novel takes a mystical approach to its examination of mortality. In what ways does the title “The Immortalists” underscore the different ways the characters confront death?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to create a fifth section focusing on Ruby’s life after the events of the book, what direction would her story take?

2. If you could extend your lifespan significantly through scientific intervention like Varya researches, would you choose to do so?

3. Which actors would you cast in a film adaptation of The Immortalists and why?

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