Thank you to Penguin Random House and the First to Read program for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I don’t usually read books that are like this one. If I had to classify this into a genre, I would probably consider this a literary novel. However, I thought the premise was an interesting one, and worth reading. Here is my review:
If you were told the date of your death, how would it shape your present?
It’s 1969 in New York City’s Lower East Side, and when the Gold children hear of a psychic who can tell anyone the day they die, they decide to visit her. What they didn’t expect is that the prophecies they receive will change their lives forever. The youngest, Simon, escapes to the West Coast on a search for love; Klara, the closest in age to Simon, decides to pursue her dream of becoming a magician but soon finds herself obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; Daniel, the eldest boy, becomes an army doctor in the hopes of controlling fate; and Varya, the eldest of them all, throws herself into the search for longevity through science.
I thought this was a very thought-provoking read. The story is told from the perspectives of all 4 siblings, with each one getting their own section that traverses the entirety of their lives. And their lives are very different. I liked reading about how each character was affected by their prophecy and the way it shaped/influenced their future decisions. Their paths were all so unique and that really made each character stand out to me. Some stories stood out to me more than others, but I have a feeling that most people would also feel this way. I d want to give a note to caution to some readers: if you are expecting a story with elements of magical realism, you will be disappointed; apart from this prophecy, which occurs in the very beginning of the novel, there is nothing fantastical that occurs. While I don’t think the writing was spectacular, I think the story more than makes up for it. I would be lying if I said I never wondered when and how I would die – but how would this knowledge affect me? Would I try to disprove the prophecy or work harder to make it come true? Or would I not believe in it at all? Either way, it would definitely affect my life. I thought the author captured a lot of these scenarios and delivered them quite nicely, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions without it being delivered to them by a character or through dialogue. I found myself understanding the actions and emotions of all of the characters, and I felt a strong emotional connection to them all as they struggled through their lives. Each story resonated with me in its own way and it led to a very insightful read. Was it everything I had dreamed it would be? No. Even though I enjoyed this novel a great deal, there was this feeling that something was missing. However, this was a powerful and thoughtful read, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes literary fiction, and novels that cause them to question their own existence and mortality.
Happy reading ~