I don't want to give anything away in terms of plot, but I will say that it's roughly divided into four parts, each focused on a different sibling. I think the book started off quite strongly and the first story line, focused on the youngest, was the most compelling and the one I keep going back to over and over again in my head. By the time we got to the last sibling, I was sort of over the framing device and I felt a great deal of distance from the character, but I think that was a purposeful choice that the author made, sort of demonstrating how far removed from the other siblings this sibling was.
The themes of choice and predetermination were a fascinating subject at book club. Just the premise itself (would you want to know the date of your death?) was fodder for us to cover for quite some time. I also really enjoyed the different family dynamics. I only have one sister, but even within our small family there's different relationships between each member of the family and I can't even imagine a family with four kids. I also liked how the relationships changed over time. I read a lot of novels in which it's clear that two characters are close in childhood and when you switch to adulthood, that relationship is essentially unchanged. Maybe that does happen in real life, but not nearly as often as a fluid relationship, I think.
Anyway, it's not a perfect book, but I did enjoy it, especially the first half.
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