The Immortalists

Simon begins to stray in his relationship with Robert. He starts spending more time with his friends in class, such as Tommy. One day they have lunch without Robert, and they see a pamphlet in a pharmacy window describing “THE GAY CANCER,” meaning AIDS, which is a pandemic in the 1980s (86).

Many men in Simon’s community contract AIDS, such as his coworker Richie, who soon dies. Simon visits what comes to be known as Ward 86, a hospital ward filled with AIDS sufferers. Simon now reveals that Bruna has predicted he will die on June 21 of the next year, at 20 years of age.

Simon begins to have sexual relations outside of his relationship, and he begins by doing so with Adrian. He expands to having sex with strangers in clubs and parks.

Simon attends Klara’s magic show. It is underwhelming at first but when she does the Jaws of Life, “Suddenly, she’s a blur: red and gold, hair and glitter, a vortex of light” (91). After the show, Klara confronts Simon about his relationship with Adrian, urging him to break up with Robert at the very least.

Later, Simon takes a shower and notes, “The dark mark still leers from his abdomen,” meaning he suspects he has a lesion from AIDS (93). Robert sees it, and they go to the hospital. 

Simon enters a ward at San Francisco General Hospital in June along with 12 other men suffering from AIDS. Klara and Robert spend time with him as he becomes more and more ill. One night, Simon calls Daniel and says he is sick, though he does not reveal the degree.

Simon thinks about Bruna and tells Robert, “There was a woman […] She told me when I’d die” (96). His date is June 21, which is only a few days away. Simon discusses the prophecy with Klara, saying he never would have left home and led this sort of life if it wasn’t for the prophecy.

Finally, Simon succumbs to his illness, repeatedly telling Robert that he loves him. His death is described: “It is only when he hears Robert’s reply that his pulse slows, his eyes close, and he is able, at last, to sleep” (99-100).  

Klara performs her magic act in nightclubs, dinner theaters, concert halls, and occasionally at the circus. The author lists many of her abilities as a magician, such as, “She can produce dimes from pennies and quarters from dimes and dollars from nothing but air” (103).

She continues performing the Jaws of Life and adds another element called the Breakaway. Here, she keeps the bit in her mouth but “instead of floating back down, as she did in her early shows, she plunges when the rope is released” (104). This feat dazzles audiences, and she ends every show saying, “I love you all” (104).  

In February 1988, Klara performs at the Committee, a Cabaret theater. After the show, she encounters Raj, Teddy’s former roommate who she met when she first moved to San Francisco 10 years prior.

The two go to an Italian café after the show and talk. Raj is now a mechanic and talks about his life in India. Klara reflects on her career as a magician, saying it’s fulfilling but challenging: “I’m tired. It’s hard to do it alone. And it’s hard to get bookings” (108). She and Raj chat about various illusions, with Raj attempting to figure out how the magician performs them.

Klara especially wants to perform an illusion called the Second Sight in which “Audience members gave him certain objects—a gold watch, say, or a cigarette case—and his assistant, who was blindfolded, identified them” (109). She has never been able to figure out how he did it, and this intrigues her.  

Klara and Raj are now involved romantically and also working together as magicians. They scavenge for wood, and together they build a special box for Klara. When mirrors are placed strategically inside, Klara is able to disappear inside the box, and “The illusion is flawless. Klara has disappeared in plain sight” (112).

Raj discusses his past in India. His mother died of diphtheria, and his father died of tuberculosis shortly after sending Raj to San Francisco to live with family there.

Klara figures out Second Sight, realizing it is based on synchronized counting. The magician is able to figure out the object given by the audience member, “By creating a code based on silence—the amount of silence between his words” (115).

The two are set to perform a show at the Teatro ZinZanni and work to prepare for the Vanishing Birdcage. Some of their preparation goes awry because Klara has been drinking and having frequent blackouts, thus forgetting to do necessary tasks.