The Immortalists

Simon is the youngest of the Gold children and the first to die at the age of 20. After Saul’s death, Klara convinces Simon to accompany her to San Francisco. Simon fears he will have to take over the family business and live out the rest of his life in New York. He knows he needs to make a change if Bruna’s prediction comes true.

Once in San Francisco, Simon begins to realize his potential as an artist. He begins working at a bar as a go-go dancer and then joins a ballet company. He quickly rises through the ranks and performs with the company as an understudy. The author notes of him, “Simon still feels high, remembering how it felt to dance with those beautiful, sculpted men, how it felt to be adored” (51). Simon continues to improve, and he becomes a full member of the company. During this time, Simon also embraces his identity as a gay man, beginning a relationship with fellow dancer Robert.

However, Simon’s trajectory soon takes a downturn. Bruna predicts that Simon will die at the age of 20, and Simon begins to engage in reckless behavior around this time. Here, the novel suggests that Simon either self-sabotages or is at the mercy of the prediction.