The Immortalists Character Analysis

Simon Gold

Simon is the youngest Gold sibling, a dancer who dies from AIDS at age 20. When Simon was seven, he and his siblings—Varya, Daniel, and Klara—visited the fortune teller, who… read analysis of Simon Gold

Klara Gold

Klara is the second youngest Gold sibling. She devotes her life to performing as a magician. As a young child, Klara falls in love with magic because she feels that it expands the audience’s sense… read analysis of Klara Gold

Daniel Gold

Daniel is the second oldest Gold sibling, after Varya. He is 11 years old when the siblings visit a local fortune teller, who tells him he will die at 48. Unlike Simon and… read analysis of Daniel Gold

Varya Gold

Varya is the eldest Gold sibling, a cautious and anxious person throughout the novel. She is 13 when she and her siblings visit the fortune teller, who tells Varya that she is going to… read analysis of Varya Gold

The Fortune Teller/Bruna Costello

The Gold children hear about the fortune teller in the summer of 1969. She is a Romani woman who lives in their neighborhood on the lower east side of Manhattan, and they hear that she… read analysis of The Fortune Teller/Bruna Costello

Eddie O’Donoghue

Eddie is a police officer who weaves in and out of the Golds’ lives. He first appears in San Francisco when he tracks down Simon, who has run away from home. After Eddie takes… read analysis of Eddie O’Donoghue

Raj Chamar

Raj is Klara’s husband and business partner. Raj was born to a very poor family in India and came to the United States with his father’s cousin when he was 10 years old. He… read analysis of Raj Chamar

Luke Van Galder

Luke is Varya’s son whom she gave up for adoption when he was an infant. As an adult, he tracks Varya down, hoping to learn about his past. Initially, Luke poses as a journalist… read analysis of Luke Van Galder

Robert

Robert is Simon’s boyfriend. Simon meets Robert in ballet class in San Francisco, though Robert is initially standoffish toward the other dancers because he is the only Black dancer in the class. When Simon… read analysis of Robert

Ruby

Ruby is Klara and Raj’s daughter. When Ruby is born, Klara and Raj decide to go on the road and then settle in Vegas, hoping that they can make enough money to give Ruby… read analysis of Ruby

Gertie Gold

Gertie is the Gold family matriarch. While Gertie’s life is long, it’s also full of loss; her mother, Klara Sr., died when she was six years old, and her husband Saul dies at the… read analysis of Gertie Gold

Saul Gold

Saul is Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon’s father, as well as Gertie’s husband. After inheriting his tailoring business from his father Lev, Saul devotes his life to working and… read analysis of Saul Gold

Mira

Mira is Daniel’s wife, whom he marries shortly after Klara’s death. Mira studies Jewish art and tracks artworks recovered from the Nazis. When Daniel accepts his job in Albany, Mira becomes a professor… read analysis of Mira

Klara Sr.

Klara Sr. is Gertie’s mother and Klara’s maternal grandmother, for whom she is named. When Klara is young, she discovers photos of Klara Sr. wearing a leotard while riding a horse and performing… read analysis of Klara Sr.

Commander Colonel Bertram

Colonel Bertram is Daniel’s supervisor at the Military Entrance Processing Station. Colonel Bertram questions whether Daniel is too selective when determining whether enlistees are healthy enough to go to war. He places Daniel on… read analysis of Commander Colonel Bertram

Asher

Asher was Luke’s older brother. Luke tells Varya that when Asher was a teenager and Luke was a toddler, he caused Asher’s death. Luke was meant to watch Asher as he checked for clumps… read analysis of Asher

Minor Characters

Lev Gold

Lev is Saul’s father and the Gold siblings’ paternal grandfather. Lev fled the Russian pogroms with his family in 1905 and worked in a garment factory in New York. By 1930, he opened his own business, Gold’s Tailor and Dressmaking, which he subsequently left to Saul to run.

Adrian

Adrian is a coworker of Simon’s at Purp. As AIDS spreads through the gay community and Robert wants to quarantine, Simon refuses to do so and subsequently begins hooking up with Adrian.

Baksheesh Khalsa

Baksheesh Khalsa is a boy who attended Simon and Klara’s high school. They stay with him for a few days when they initially arrive in San Francisco. Raj is one of his roommates.

Arthur Milavetz

Arthur is Saul’s business partner at Gold’s Tailor and Dressmaking. After Saul dies and Simon runs away from home, Arthur takes over the business and renames it “Milavetz’s.”

Richie

Richie is one of Simon’s coworkers at Purp. He is one of the first people Simon knows to die of AIDS.

Ilya Hlavacek

Ilya is the owner of a magic shop, and he becomes Klara’s mentor and trains her for nine years in magic.

Ian

Ian is the first man that Simon sleeps with after arriving in San Francisco.

Gali

Gali is Simon’s ballet teacher and the choreographer of Corps.

Benny

Benny is owner of the Purp club and Simon’s boss.

Lady

Lady is drag queen who works with Simon at Purp.

Annie Kim

Annie is Varya’s coworker at the Drake Institute.