G.P. Putnam’s Sons
7
Read: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
I’m usually not a fan of fantasy, but the premise of The Immortalists drew me in for my first read of 2021: Four siblings growing up on the Lower East Side in the ’60s meet a traveling psychic who can tell people exactly when they’re going to die. They pool their money, go to her, and get their death dates—which they hide from each other but keep in the forefronts of their own minds. The story is broken up into quarters, each one following a sibling as they go about their lives afterward. The plot seemed fantastical, but the stories of each character were so achingly real, as they navigated every possible life choice with a set date hanging over their heads. In the end, it wasn’t as much about the mysterious woman with all the answers, but the bond between siblings that changes, evolves, but can’t help but hold strong. —Christa Sgobba, associate director, fitness and food
Read it: $15, bookshop.org or amazon.com