The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

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 word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes. Their prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11, hoping to control fate; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.Four siblings who live separate lives after visiting a seer in their youth.This book has almost 4 stars on goodreads with over 17,000 reviews.  When I looked that up, about halfway through the book, I was shocked.  The books premise alludes to fantastical elements - there are VERY few of these in the book except the prologue, where you read ONE of the four prophecies.Why are there so many names in the beginning of this book?! It's a family of 6- so six names you need to immediately remember. But for some reason we are told street names, and countless townspeople's names in just the first 27 pages!I was not expecting, (and may it be noted that I didn't like) the sexual writing style.  Don't believe me? Here's an excerpt:"Vaginas have never appealed to him: their cabbage-like folds, their long hidden corridor.  He craves the long thrust of the cock, its heady insistence, and the challenge of a body like his."  This is on page 33...Not only could you find this writing in context but also completely out of context- just a random sexual sentence mixed in with normal everyday living. Sentence number TWO in the entire book:"New to her are three more inches of height and the dark patch of fur between her legs."I just finished reading Station Eleven- which is required reading for dystopian fans- where I really enjoyed the writing style. Wow, what a change it was to go to this writing style.The premise of the book was intriguing- I think that's the only way to explain how it's gotten such a large audience so far.I would definitely skip this book- I say it's all hype and not worth the fuss!BUT If you would like to buy this book click here.