7/6/2023 0 Comments The immortalists reviewHere, Benjamin continues her use of sexualized language, as Simon sees “a king of a cock.” However, the diction in this section seems more appropriate. Benjamin dedicates the first section to the youngest child, Simon, who moves to San Francisco before finishing high school to escape his mother and explore his sexuality in a community where LGBT identity is widely accepted. The novel begins strangely, describing “the dark patch of fur” between a 13-year-old’s legs before discussing her “waist length and medium brown hair.” Further talk of “palm-sized” breasts and “nipples dime sized” indicate that this novel might mention uncomfortable topics. Although the narrative declines in excitement, the later sections of the book allow for Benjamin’s philosophy on life to sink in. Told through each siblings’ eyes, in the order in which they die, the earlier parts of the book are packed with action and intense emotion while the final chapters are a slow burn. Some of the siblings die young, while others live to the ripe age of 88, but along the way it is clear that it is the content rather than the number of years that determine a life well-lived. In her new novel “The Immortalists,” Chloe Benjamin brings to life four siblings-who learn the dates of their deaths from a fortune teller-to explore what life means when it is given an expiration date.
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