I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from W.W. Norton Publishers. I was excited to read this because of the great reviews I was hearing about it.
The premise for this book is that Rachel can’t die, but she wants to. After living two thousand years and watching children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, lovers, husbands, and more pass away, who wouldn’t want to die? This book explores the subject of immortality and how on one side it sounds appealing, living forever, but realistically, is it really something humans should strive for?
I enjoyed how this book made a full circle and I appreciated the connections that the author made throughout the story between characters and events. I think my hold back for me was that I had just recently read “The Immortalists” by Chloe Benjamin which also tackled the subject of death with Jewish main characters. I may have been slightly burnt out on the topic by the time I got my hands on “Eternal Life.” However, I still think this book had a poignant message that transcends time and all walks of life.
