I love the idea of a person who has attained immortality and perhaps regrets it or is dealing with the downsides of eternal life.
I just watched The Age of Adeline on Netflix and found it extremely disappointing–way too focused on romance, and with a lead character who doesn’t ring true as someone who has 100+ years of life experience. I think a big problem was that it was written by men, and they didn’t do a great job of imagining how a 100+ year-old woman blessed/cursed with eternal youth would think or live. (For one thing, she’s charmed by a creepy guy low-key stalking her, which would be absolutely exhausting and old hat for a being who has spent about 75 years walking the earth as a conventionally very attractive, young-presenting woman.) It also didn’t delve at all into her emotional or internal journey over her century of eternal life–which, fair enough, it’s a movie. It has limited story-telling reach.
Is there any book that does this well? I’m particularly interested in books where the MC is the only person who is immortal and where the book follows them over many years and delves into the mundane details of their strategy for avoiding detection. A book written in the style of literary fiction would be ideal.
by HolyForkingShirtBs
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Melmoth the Wanderer – though not immortal he is given extra life after a deal with the devil.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab jumps to mind. A woman gains eternal life but finds that no one can remember her once she’s left their sight, and she can’t write or draw or leave a mark to remind them. It’s a great premise and I really enjoyed it.