First published 2018
In 1969, the four Gold siblings sneak through New York's Lower East Side to find a mysterious woman who claims she can predict death dates. Each child receives a prophecy that shapes the next fifty years of their lives. Simon flees to San Francisco's gay scene during the AIDS crisis. Klara pursues magic in Las Vegas, chasing the line between reality and illusion. Daniel becomes an army doctor after 9/11, seeking stability and control. Varya dedicates herself to longevity science, trying to defeat death itself. Each sibling grapples with whether their fate was sealed by the fortune teller's words or by their own choices in response to them. The novel follows their separate paths as they struggle with questions of destiny, family loyalty, and the weight of knowing when you might die.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, magical-realism, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fate-vs-free-will, found-family
Setting: New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas
Period: 1969, 9/11
346 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: death, mental-illness