8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
...quixotic and [appealing], August 3, 2003
This review is from: THE IMMORTALISTS (Paperback)
Surrealistic and quixotic are descriptive terms that came to mind as I read The Immortalists. But the contemporary issues were real enough and the characters clearly defined in this work of fiction.
Joe Forcione is wealthy, successful, living his dream life in the East Hamptoms with a young and [physically attractive] wife. He's proud of his palatial beach home and pleased that his investments have accumulated into the multi millions. But Joe is sixty. The vicissitudes of age are taking over. He turns to a phallic implant and viagra to offset his impotence, consults a priest dispensing healing miracles for dental bone loss, but what can Joe do to achieve immortality? He does not want to die. Of all spectres, past or present, Joe Forcione fears death.
Joe's quest - and a large chunk of his money - takes him around the world. He has sheep gland injections in an exclusive Swiss clinic and invests in various life enhancing or prolonging techniques. Perhaps he can escape death through cryogenics or cloning! The sky's the limit if you have the cash to buy it. Joe's mood improves along with his hope of finding eternal youth and escaping death. Soon he has a pregnant wife and mistress, an increasing [physical] appetite encouraged by a wandering eye, and a whole new set of problems to resolve.
The characters in this book are not caricatures. Joe Forcione is a typical American in search of ever increasing wealth and all the trappings money can buy. And I particularly liked Father McDermott, the healing priest with feet of clay, who moonlights as an actor and enjoys quality time with his mistress every chance he gets. There is humor in this book as well as surrealistic science fiction, and an underlying truth that all humans must eventually face. Nothing is permanent.
Recommended for mature audiences due to strong [physical]content.
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