The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin Summary
Overview of The Immortalists
Four siblings learn their death dates from a psychic in 1969, then live radically different lives shaped by this knowledge. This #1 NYT bestseller, translated into 30+ languages, asks: Would knowing when you'll die free you - or imprison you?
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Key takeaways
When Death Becomes a Deadline
What would you do if you knew exactly when you would die? In 1969, four siblings from New York's Lower East Side-Simon, Klara, Daniel, and Varya Gold-sneak away to visit a mysterious fortune teller who reveals to each of them the exact date of their death. This single afternoon transforms their lives forever, setting them on divergent paths shaped by this forbidden knowledge. The prophecy creates an invisible wall between them as they struggle with a question both simple and profound: If your time is limited, do you live cautiously or burn brightly? Some embrace their fate, others run from it, but all four siblings find themselves haunted by the fortune teller's words. As their lives unfold across five decades, we witness how foreknowledge becomes both gift and curse-offering clarity yet stealing the comfort of uncertainty that most of us take for granted. The summer heat is oppressive as thirteen-year-old Varya leads her siblings through the crowded Lower East Side streets to a tenement on Hester Street. The woman they find is unsettling, with "eyes like black static" that seem to penetrate their souls. One by one, the children enter her apartment and emerge changed. Varya learns she'll live to eighty-eight, dying on January 21, 2044. Klara receives a mid-life sentence: January 1, 1991, at thirty-one. Daniel will die on January 13, 2006. And young Simon, only seven, is given the shortest life of all. They leave in stunned silence, making an unspoken pact never to discuss what they've learned. But the knowledge settles into their bones, creating fault lines that will eventually fracture their family. When their father Saul dies unexpectedly in 1978, these cracks begin to widen.
Simon's Brilliant Flame and Klara's Magical Escape
Daniel's Desperate Control and Pursuit of Truth
Varya's Scientific Cage and Search for Meaning
Prophecy and Self-Fulfillment: The Power of Belief
The Inheritance of Time: Living Fully in the Face of Mortality
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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