In 1969 the four Gold children, Varya, Daniel, Karla and Simon visit a fortune teller who tells them the date that each of them will die.  For the rest of their lives, this pronouncement will effect many parts of their lives.  Simon, the youngest, runs off to San Francisco when he is sixteen, works in a gay nightclub and becomes a ballet dancer.   Karla becomes a musician and performs one very dangerous feat.  Daniel is a doctor who gives physicals to army recruits and then decides if they’re physically able to serve.  And Varya, the eldest, works in a lab with primates, hoping to discover ways that human longevity can be increased.  As we learn more about each of the Golds, we are introduced to other equally interesting characters.

Don’t be put off by the preface of The Immortalists.  Benjamin’s debut novel is a riveting work about fate and families.