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The Fountain
A propulsive and deeply moving novel about eternity and mortality that asks what it would mean to live forever.
Vera Van Vulkenburgh hasn’t been home in one hundred and eighty-eight years. But now Vera, forever twenty-six and able to heal from any wound, has returned to the Catskills. Whatever made her family immortal happened here, and if she can uncover it, maybe she can reverse it. After nearly two centuries—an endless sequence of unnoticed, meaningless lives and a soul-shaking incident in the desert—she longs to be released.
Posing as a newly arrived forest ranger, she quickly blends into the upstate community and learns of something curious and disturbing. A mysterious, well-funded company is snapping up local property, no matter how high the asking price. But when her brother, a fellow immortal shows up, accompanied by a woman whose face is incredibly familiar to Vera, the purpose for her return gets clouded and Vera is in a race against time to find out what has caused her condition before someone else does.
Blending the spectacular with the everyday in a tale filled with humor and warmth, The Fountain explores what gives life meaning and how our understandings of our histories shape—and cage—us.
Vera Van Vulkenburgh hasn’t been home in one hundred and eighty-eight years. But now Vera, forever twenty-six and able to heal from any wound, has returned to the Catskills. Whatever made her family immortal happened here, and if she can uncover it, maybe she can reverse it. After nearly two centuries—an endless sequence of unnoticed, meaningless lives and a soul-shaking incident in the desert—she longs to be released.
Posing as a newly arrived forest ranger, she quickly blends into the upstate community and learns of something curious and disturbing. A mysterious, well-funded company is snapping up local property, no matter how high the asking price. But when her brother, a fellow immortal shows up, accompanied by a woman whose face is incredibly familiar to Vera, the purpose for her return gets clouded and Vera is in a race against time to find out what has caused her condition before someone else does.
Blending the spectacular with the everyday in a tale filled with humor and warmth, The Fountain explores what gives life meaning and how our understandings of our histories shape—and cage—us.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2026
About the author
Casey Scieszka
3 books64 followersCasey Scieszka is a born and raised Brooklynite who has lived in Beijing, San Francisco, Fez, and Timbuktu where she was a Fulbright Scholar. In 2013 she and her husband, artist Steven Weinberg, moved to the Catskill Mountains and opened the Spruceton Inn: a Catskills Bed & Bar, which runs an annual Artist Residency hosting world-renowned painters, bestselling authors, and Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
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December 10, 2025Imagine if you could live forever. This story really is an eye opener. I fell in love with the characters and the plot. It was such a thriller till the end. Highly recommend.
April 11, 2026
I wasn’t surprised that I enjoyed this, but I was surprised that I loved it.
Lovely writing makes this an easy read. It isn’t deeply literary (aka “sad and tragic”) but instead brings lightness and hope to a story that starts out seemingly grim and loaded with a practically unsolvable situation for the main character, Vera.
I loved all the characters, their vulnerability, their moments of sadness and joy; the building of a life and community as a way of bringing Vera truly back from the edge of her grey despair.
The story unfolds the potential for joy in a life that has also known bitterness and loss, the finding of friendship and love after long periods of denial and self imposed isolation. The Fountain gave me the same feelings I got reading books like Alice Hoffman’s Magic Lessons and The Rules of Magic: that sense of optimism and belief in the possibility of life touched by love and connection.
Lovely writing makes this an easy read. It isn’t deeply literary (aka “sad and tragic”) but instead brings lightness and hope to a story that starts out seemingly grim and loaded with a practically unsolvable situation for the main character, Vera.
I loved all the characters, their vulnerability, their moments of sadness and joy; the building of a life and community as a way of bringing Vera truly back from the edge of her grey despair.
The story unfolds the potential for joy in a life that has also known bitterness and loss, the finding of friendship and love after long periods of denial and self imposed isolation. The Fountain gave me the same feelings I got reading books like Alice Hoffman’s Magic Lessons and The Rules of Magic: that sense of optimism and belief in the possibility of life touched by love and connection.
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September 14, 2025I'll admit, I chose to look at the advanced copy of The Fountain because of the author's last name. When I saw that she is Jon Scieszka's daughter I wanted to read it. This story of 4 accidentally immortal humans is thoughtful and well told. After 200 plus years of constantly reinventing herself so as to never divulge her situation, Vera has decided to go back to the New England farm town in which she was born. Her goal is to find the source of her immortality to try and reverse it. But some other folks show up with different goals - in particular a super wealthy guy interested in discovering the fountain of youth. As Vera finds herself immersed in the community, and unable to find the source of her secret immortality, life (and death) become more complicated. I really enjoyed this unusual but smart and kind story - it would be a fun book for a bookclub to discuss.
Review of advance copy
This was a fun one, a really easy read from a debut author who I will keep my eyes on. There's a bit of a mystery, it's a bit speculative and has a lot of charm. I think the pacing was a bit rushed at the end and there were a lot of plot points that could have been resolved a bit more robustly for me at the end. I did like the female MC quite a bit and thought she had a really interesting perspective on immortality.
I did find a lot of the plot predictable, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment. I would push this into the category of "airport" or "beach" read if that makes sense. It wasn't quite far enough along on the literary fiction spectrum for me but I did have a good time!
I did find a lot of the plot predictable, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment. I would push this into the category of "airport" or "beach" read if that makes sense. It wasn't quite far enough along on the literary fiction spectrum for me but I did have a good time!
March 21, 2026
3.5 stars
This was quite the introspective take on immortality. There’s a steady tension throughout, between Vera hiding her immortality from the townspeople and keeping her true feelings from her brother. There’s also a complicated dynamic between Vera, her brother, and the other woman in their lives that adds another layer of emotional strain.
I wasn’t entirely sure how things would play out or whether Vera would get a happy ending, which kept me invested. I really appreciated the depth here. You can feel her exhaustion and melancholy in a way that lingers. This was a slow-paced read that got a tiny bit repetitive but, overall, I enjoyed the story and our characters.
This was quite the introspective take on immortality. There’s a steady tension throughout, between Vera hiding her immortality from the townspeople and keeping her true feelings from her brother. There’s also a complicated dynamic between Vera, her brother, and the other woman in their lives that adds another layer of emotional strain.
I wasn’t entirely sure how things would play out or whether Vera would get a happy ending, which kept me invested. I really appreciated the depth here. You can feel her exhaustion and melancholy in a way that lingers. This was a slow-paced read that got a tiny bit repetitive but, overall, I enjoyed the story and our characters.
March 30, 2026
There was something off about this book. The whole thing felt rushed... stilted. Not what I was expecting. I wouldn't call it bad, just not for me. I was hoping for more depth in themes of identity, life & death, & Interpersonal relationships to name a few. I wanted literary fiction and got genre fiction. Vera has a strong victim mentality that became whiny.
March 30, 2026
4.25 I really liked this story, but I think a lot of hype had me expecting a tad more. Full review to follow.
November 14, 2025
I very much enjoyed this novel and the premise. I can definitely see this being made into a limited series or a movie. I liked the characters and was surprised by the twist at the end. I know this will not be for everyone as there are holes in the plot and the idea is just completely unbelievable but I really liked it from the very beginning.
March 21, 2026
I most listened to this one - a debut that reminds me a bit of "Tuck Everlasting". Ma, Eli and Vera have mysteriously become immortal - while other members of their family die naturally. The novel explores the pros and cons of never aging, constantly moving, and reinventing yourself. When Vera suffers a trauma in Joshua Tree National Park, she decides she has had enough of the self healing, never ending immortal life, and returns to their home town in the Catskill mountains of New York. Vera is hoping that by discovering the source of her immortality that she will be able to reverse it and die.
Parts of the book were repetitive, and although I enjoyed the story and thought it would be a great choice for book clubs it was not my favorite narration. Most interesting to me was Vera's longing for a simple, true life and how she quickly became a part of her home town. Thank you to Netgalley for both the audiobook and ebook.
Parts of the book were repetitive, and although I enjoyed the story and thought it would be a great choice for book clubs it was not my favorite narration. Most interesting to me was Vera's longing for a simple, true life and how she quickly became a part of her home town. Thank you to Netgalley for both the audiobook and ebook.
April 2, 2026
The Fountain by Casey Scieszka is an ambitious and emotionally resonant debut that blends speculative fiction, small-town mystery, and philosophical inquiry into what it means to live forever. While the novel doesn’t always succeed in centering its most compelling character, it remains a striking and thought-provoking exploration of immortality, identity, and the human need for connection.
The novel follows Vera Van Valkenburgh, a woman who has been physically frozen at age twenty-six for nearly two centuries. After 188 years of drifting through life—adopting new identities, avoiding suspicion, and enduring a deepening sense of existential fatigue—Vera returns to her childhood home in the Catskills. Her goal is not to preserve her immortality, but to undo it. Whatever caused her, her brother Eli, and their mother to stop aging originated there, and Vera is desperate to reclaim mortality.
Posing as a forest ranger, Vera embeds herself in a contemporary community that is both mundane and subtly unsettling. The central mystery emerges when a powerful, secretive company begins purchasing land in the area, suggesting that the source of immortality may be discovered—and commodified. As Vera investigates, her estranged brother Eli reappears, now entangled with a scientist connected to the company. The narrative tension escalates as Vera races not only to uncover the truth, but to prevent it from being exploited.
The plot is propelled by dual forces: a personal quest for death and a broader ethical conflict over whether immortality should exist at all. The ending, as you noted, is particularly effective—delivering a surprising yet thematically coherent resolution that underscores the novel’s central question: is endless life a gift, or a burden?
Vera is the narrative anchor, but arguably the least interesting character. Her weariness and longing for release are understandable, yet her internality can feel muted compared to the vivid emotional stakes embodied by others. She functions more as a lens than a fully dynamic presence—someone through whom the story unfolds rather than someone who drives it with distinctive energy.
In contrast, Eli is fascinating. His struggle for human connection—after centuries of detachment—feels urgent and tragic. Where Vera seeks escape, Eli seeks meaning within immortality, making him a compelling counterpoint. His relationship with others, especially his entanglement with scientific ambition, raises questions about whether connection can survive when time loses its limits.
Anneka/Ma is equally engaging. Anneka represents the seductive pull of progress—the belief that immortality can be harnessed for good. Her motivations blur the line between altruism and hubris. Meanwhile, Ma’s intense need to heal or save people introduces a moral dimension: if one has the power to eliminate death, is it ethical not to? These characters carry the emotional and philosophical weight of the novel in ways Vera often does not.
Themes and Scientific Parallels
One of the novel’s most intriguing elements is its implicit connection to real-world scientific research on longevity—particularly plant-based compounds that hint at “natural” forms of life extension.
For instance, the compound resveratrol, found in grapes and berries, has been widely studied for its potential anti-aging effects. Research suggests it can activate cellular pathways like SIRT1, which are associated with longevity and improved cellular health.
It also promotes autophagy—the body’s process of clearing damaged cells—which is crucial in slowing age-related decline. Similarly, other plant-derived compounds like quercetin have shown promise in extending lifespan and improving stress resistance in model organisms.
These real-world discoveries mirror the speculative premise of The Fountain. The mysterious source of immortality in the Catskills can be read as a heightened, fictional analogue to these biochemical processes—a natural phenomenon that humans seek to isolate, control, and monetize. The novel’s corporate subplot, in which a company attempts to harness immortality as a cure-all, reflects current scientific ambitions to turn plant-based longevity compounds into therapies for aging and disease.
Yet, as in reality, the science is incomplete. While compounds like resveratrol show promise in animals and cellular models, their effects in humans remain uncertain.
This uncertainty echoes the novel’s cautionary stance: the pursuit of eternal life may outpace our understanding of its consequences.
As a debut, The Fountain is undeniably impressive. Its prose is engaging, its premise is compelling, and its thematic scope is ambitious. The novel shines most in its supporting characters and its ability to weave philosophical questions into a suspenseful narrative. The ending, in particular, lands with clarity and impact, elevating the story beyond a simple immortality tale.
However, the relative flatness of Vera as a protagonist prevents the novel from reaching its full emotional potential. Ironically, in a story about endless life, it is the side characters—Eli, Anneka, and Ma—who feel the most alive.
Still, Scieszka’s debut signals a writer deeply interested in the intersection of science, ethics, and human longing. Like the plant compounds that inspire its central mystery, The Fountain suggests that the secret to life may not lie in extending it indefinitely, but in understanding what makes it meaningful in the first place.
The novel follows Vera Van Valkenburgh, a woman who has been physically frozen at age twenty-six for nearly two centuries. After 188 years of drifting through life—adopting new identities, avoiding suspicion, and enduring a deepening sense of existential fatigue—Vera returns to her childhood home in the Catskills. Her goal is not to preserve her immortality, but to undo it. Whatever caused her, her brother Eli, and their mother to stop aging originated there, and Vera is desperate to reclaim mortality.
Posing as a forest ranger, Vera embeds herself in a contemporary community that is both mundane and subtly unsettling. The central mystery emerges when a powerful, secretive company begins purchasing land in the area, suggesting that the source of immortality may be discovered—and commodified. As Vera investigates, her estranged brother Eli reappears, now entangled with a scientist connected to the company. The narrative tension escalates as Vera races not only to uncover the truth, but to prevent it from being exploited.
The plot is propelled by dual forces: a personal quest for death and a broader ethical conflict over whether immortality should exist at all. The ending, as you noted, is particularly effective—delivering a surprising yet thematically coherent resolution that underscores the novel’s central question: is endless life a gift, or a burden?
Vera is the narrative anchor, but arguably the least interesting character. Her weariness and longing for release are understandable, yet her internality can feel muted compared to the vivid emotional stakes embodied by others. She functions more as a lens than a fully dynamic presence—someone through whom the story unfolds rather than someone who drives it with distinctive energy.
In contrast, Eli is fascinating. His struggle for human connection—after centuries of detachment—feels urgent and tragic. Where Vera seeks escape, Eli seeks meaning within immortality, making him a compelling counterpoint. His relationship with others, especially his entanglement with scientific ambition, raises questions about whether connection can survive when time loses its limits.
Anneka/Ma is equally engaging. Anneka represents the seductive pull of progress—the belief that immortality can be harnessed for good. Her motivations blur the line between altruism and hubris. Meanwhile, Ma’s intense need to heal or save people introduces a moral dimension: if one has the power to eliminate death, is it ethical not to? These characters carry the emotional and philosophical weight of the novel in ways Vera often does not.
Themes and Scientific Parallels
One of the novel’s most intriguing elements is its implicit connection to real-world scientific research on longevity—particularly plant-based compounds that hint at “natural” forms of life extension.
For instance, the compound resveratrol, found in grapes and berries, has been widely studied for its potential anti-aging effects. Research suggests it can activate cellular pathways like SIRT1, which are associated with longevity and improved cellular health.
It also promotes autophagy—the body’s process of clearing damaged cells—which is crucial in slowing age-related decline. Similarly, other plant-derived compounds like quercetin have shown promise in extending lifespan and improving stress resistance in model organisms.
These real-world discoveries mirror the speculative premise of The Fountain. The mysterious source of immortality in the Catskills can be read as a heightened, fictional analogue to these biochemical processes—a natural phenomenon that humans seek to isolate, control, and monetize. The novel’s corporate subplot, in which a company attempts to harness immortality as a cure-all, reflects current scientific ambitions to turn plant-based longevity compounds into therapies for aging and disease.
Yet, as in reality, the science is incomplete. While compounds like resveratrol show promise in animals and cellular models, their effects in humans remain uncertain.
This uncertainty echoes the novel’s cautionary stance: the pursuit of eternal life may outpace our understanding of its consequences.
As a debut, The Fountain is undeniably impressive. Its prose is engaging, its premise is compelling, and its thematic scope is ambitious. The novel shines most in its supporting characters and its ability to weave philosophical questions into a suspenseful narrative. The ending, in particular, lands with clarity and impact, elevating the story beyond a simple immortality tale.
However, the relative flatness of Vera as a protagonist prevents the novel from reaching its full emotional potential. Ironically, in a story about endless life, it is the side characters—Eli, Anneka, and Ma—who feel the most alive.
Still, Scieszka’s debut signals a writer deeply interested in the intersection of science, ethics, and human longing. Like the plant compounds that inspire its central mystery, The Fountain suggests that the secret to life may not lie in extending it indefinitely, but in understanding what makes it meaningful in the first place.
November 5, 2025
This book had me so emotional with heavy themes of mortality. Vera is a mesmerizing main character. The setting is beautifully written into the book so it feels as if you’re in the middle of it. I found myself reflecting on what it would be like for me in Vera’s place. A beautiful plot, great character development, and lots of reflective takeaways, this is a book to treasure for years to come. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 10, 2025
This had such a great premise but didn’t deliver for me. The characters felt flat, the plot was underwhelming, and while I enjoyed the flashbacks, there just wasn’t enough of them. Overall, not terrible, but forgettable.
April 3, 2026
SUCH an interesting book. This book explored immortality in such a unique way. What does it mean to be human? What are we put on this planet to do? Do we have a bigger purpose? What does it mean to live? OMG. I loved it.
April 6, 2026
(Audiobook) THE FOUNTAIN by Casey Sciezska, about a woman trying to undo the effects of 200 years of immortality, was such a page turner, I couldn’t wait to find out how it would end. Didn’t disappoint!
Ever grateful to Libro.fm for keeping me stocked with audiobooks.
Ever grateful to Libro.fm for keeping me stocked with audiobooks.
April 12, 2026
4.5. Grown up tuck everlasting
March 25, 2026
Living forever sounds great, until you never get anything accomplished and you get stuck in a loop. I liked this but the ending and the storyline itself felt like there was no end conclusion, which I guess makes sense with them living forever and all.
April 2, 2026
My favorite book of 2026 so far! I need more people to read this so I can talk about it with others.
April 6, 2026
Thought-provoking storytelling and a stellar love letter to the Catskills community!
November 20, 2025
What a surprisingly delicious read! Loved the rich descriptions of everyday life in the Catskills through the lens of an extraordinary human. I connected so deeply with each of the characters and fell so easily into the magical realism that I just couldn't put it down until I found out how this beautiful story ended... and I wasn't disappointed! I'm a sucker for an ending with an unlikely twist, and this was perfect.
Thank you so much to the author for the advanced copy! I will definitely be reading this again after it's officially published!
Thank you so much to the author for the advanced copy! I will definitely be reading this again after it's officially published!
August 14, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC of The Fountain.
This was a super interesting concept for a story that really made me think about the implications of immortality and what a well-lived life means. Unfortunately the pace of the story was just a bit too slow for me and the ending much too abrupt. It felt as though the story never really reached a climax and I was left with so many unanswered questions. A lot of potential here but ultimately it didn't deliver for me.
3 stars
This was a super interesting concept for a story that really made me think about the implications of immortality and what a well-lived life means. Unfortunately the pace of the story was just a bit too slow for me and the ending much too abrupt. It felt as though the story never really reached a climax and I was left with so many unanswered questions. A lot of potential here but ultimately it didn't deliver for me.
3 stars
March 22, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the ebook and physical copy of this book.
📝 Short Summary
The Fountain follows Vera Van Vulkenburgh, a woman who has been immortal for nearly two hundred years and is more than ready for that to end. Returning home to the Catskills for the first time in 188 years, she hopes to uncover what made her family immortal in the first place and possibly reverse it. But once she gets there, strange things begin unfolding, including a mysterious company buying up local property and the arrival of her brother along with a woman who seems tied to Vera’s past. What follows is a story about mortality, family, meaning, and what it really costs to live forever.
Review
This was such a fun, easy, and fast read for me. Sometimes you pick up a book and it just flows, and that was definitely the case here. I was pulled in right away by the premise because anything dealing with immortality and what that actually means over time is always interesting to me, and this book took that idea and made it feel emotional, strange, and very readable.
Vera was easily my favorite part of this book. I really liked being in her head and seeing the world through someone who has lived for so long and is just tired of carrying that weight. There was something really compelling about her, and she gave the story a lot of heart. For a book that deals with such a huge concept, it still felt grounded because Vera herself felt so real in her exhaustion, curiosity, and the way she approached everything happening around her.
I also liked how quickly the story moved. This is not one of those books that drags forever trying to sound deep. It keeps things moving, and that made it really easy to stay engaged. There were a lot of plot twists throughout, and even when I could see some things coming, I still had a good time with it. Sometimes predictability does not ruin a book if the journey is still interesting, and that is exactly how I felt here.
The story itself kept me invested because there was always something unfolding. Between Vera returning home, the mystery of her family’s immortality, the company buying up property, and the people from her past and present colliding, there was enough going on to keep me turning the pages. I liked that it balanced bigger questions about life and death with a plot that still felt entertaining and accessible.
There is also a warmth to this story that I enjoyed. Even with the heavier themes, it never felt cold or distant. It had an emotional core to it, and I think that helped make the book stand out. It is thoughtful without being too heavy handed, and it gives you enough to think about while still being a genuinely enjoyable read.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting, fast-paced, and had enough twists and emotional depth to keep me hooked. Even though parts felt a little predictable, that did not take away from the experience for me. I had a good time with it, and I will definitely be picking up other books by this author.
✅ Would I Recommend It?
Yes, especially if you enjoy stories about immortality, family secrets, and fast-paced speculative fiction with an emotional edge.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the ebook and physical copy of this book.
📝 Short Summary
The Fountain follows Vera Van Vulkenburgh, a woman who has been immortal for nearly two hundred years and is more than ready for that to end. Returning home to the Catskills for the first time in 188 years, she hopes to uncover what made her family immortal in the first place and possibly reverse it. But once she gets there, strange things begin unfolding, including a mysterious company buying up local property and the arrival of her brother along with a woman who seems tied to Vera’s past. What follows is a story about mortality, family, meaning, and what it really costs to live forever.
Review
This was such a fun, easy, and fast read for me. Sometimes you pick up a book and it just flows, and that was definitely the case here. I was pulled in right away by the premise because anything dealing with immortality and what that actually means over time is always interesting to me, and this book took that idea and made it feel emotional, strange, and very readable.
Vera was easily my favorite part of this book. I really liked being in her head and seeing the world through someone who has lived for so long and is just tired of carrying that weight. There was something really compelling about her, and she gave the story a lot of heart. For a book that deals with such a huge concept, it still felt grounded because Vera herself felt so real in her exhaustion, curiosity, and the way she approached everything happening around her.
I also liked how quickly the story moved. This is not one of those books that drags forever trying to sound deep. It keeps things moving, and that made it really easy to stay engaged. There were a lot of plot twists throughout, and even when I could see some things coming, I still had a good time with it. Sometimes predictability does not ruin a book if the journey is still interesting, and that is exactly how I felt here.
The story itself kept me invested because there was always something unfolding. Between Vera returning home, the mystery of her family’s immortality, the company buying up property, and the people from her past and present colliding, there was enough going on to keep me turning the pages. I liked that it balanced bigger questions about life and death with a plot that still felt entertaining and accessible.
There is also a warmth to this story that I enjoyed. Even with the heavier themes, it never felt cold or distant. It had an emotional core to it, and I think that helped make the book stand out. It is thoughtful without being too heavy handed, and it gives you enough to think about while still being a genuinely enjoyable read.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting, fast-paced, and had enough twists and emotional depth to keep me hooked. Even though parts felt a little predictable, that did not take away from the experience for me. I had a good time with it, and I will definitely be picking up other books by this author.
✅ Would I Recommend It?
Yes, especially if you enjoy stories about immortality, family secrets, and fast-paced speculative fiction with an emotional edge.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
give me an existential crisis novel but make it fun and propulsive at the same time
--------------
Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
This was incredibly propulsive and fun, even with (or maybe because of!) its undercurrent of existential dread. It’s the kind of book that keeps you flying through the pages because the blend of the town's unfolding secrets and Vera's hidden truth creates such a brisk, engaging pace.
Scieszka does a beautiful job making the Catskills come alive. The setting has a distinct, small-town feel where generations of families all know each other, creating a rich backdrop for the shifting social dynamics. There is real cultural friction as this tight-knit community faces an influx of urban transplants, especially when a mysterious, well-funded company begins aggressively snapping up local land. The people driving this buyout aren't standard developers; they have a deeply unsettling interest in what's hidden in those woods, adding great intrigue about what happens when a community's landscape and history are bought out from under it.
At its core, the novel is an exploration of immortality and the heavy question of what you should actually do with endless time. Does a meaningful existence have to be something massive—like the wealthy elites in the novel trying to bottle, market, and profit from a longevity drug? Or is a well-lived life found in all the small acts of care you show to the people around you?
After spending two centuries living a sequence of unnoticed, repetitive lives, Vera returns to the Catskills to uncover the source of her condition so she can reverse it; only to clash with that very same wealthy company trying to bottle and sell the longevity she views as a curse. While she's there, she constantly uses the vast skills and knowledge she’s amassed over the years to help her new friends. Because she can’t get hurt or die, she doesn't think twice about throwing herself into dangerous situations for them. Vera dismisses her own bravery, framing it as a low-stakes action because she physically has nothing to lose. But I have to disagree with her here: she actually risks everything. By drawing attention to herself, she runs the very real risk of being found out, which would force her to flee, lose the friendships and the life she’s cultivating, and start entirely over. She could always choose to do nothing and stay perfectly hidden, but she still chooses to act.
It made me think about how often people in the real world refuse to do even the smallest things to help others, even when it wouldn't negatively affect their day-to-day lives at all. You just have to look at the millionaires and billionaires who hoard their wealth rather than give to charity, when a life-changing donation would amount to little more than a pittance or an accounting error to them. Vera, despite having the ultimate excuse to detach from humanity, actively chooses to participate in it.
But honestly, my favorite way to read this was as a story about a delayed coming-of-age and feeling completely lost in your own life. Vera’s immortality is almost a metaphor for the walls we build to protect ourselves. She is so afraid of making real connections (grant it, this is part logistics but also rooted in trauma), and it’s deeply relatable to see her compare her own path to her brother’s more traditional wealth and success. Watching her slowly lower her guard to let in new friends, genuine happiness, and (finally!) a romance—all while staying completely true to herself, working as a ranger, and living exactly how she wants—was incredibly satisfying.
--------------
Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
This was incredibly propulsive and fun, even with (or maybe because of!) its undercurrent of existential dread. It’s the kind of book that keeps you flying through the pages because the blend of the town's unfolding secrets and Vera's hidden truth creates such a brisk, engaging pace.
Scieszka does a beautiful job making the Catskills come alive. The setting has a distinct, small-town feel where generations of families all know each other, creating a rich backdrop for the shifting social dynamics. There is real cultural friction as this tight-knit community faces an influx of urban transplants, especially when a mysterious, well-funded company begins aggressively snapping up local land. The people driving this buyout aren't standard developers; they have a deeply unsettling interest in what's hidden in those woods, adding great intrigue about what happens when a community's landscape and history are bought out from under it.
At its core, the novel is an exploration of immortality and the heavy question of what you should actually do with endless time. Does a meaningful existence have to be something massive—like the wealthy elites in the novel trying to bottle, market, and profit from a longevity drug? Or is a well-lived life found in all the small acts of care you show to the people around you?
After spending two centuries living a sequence of unnoticed, repetitive lives, Vera returns to the Catskills to uncover the source of her condition so she can reverse it; only to clash with that very same wealthy company trying to bottle and sell the longevity she views as a curse. While she's there, she constantly uses the vast skills and knowledge she’s amassed over the years to help her new friends. Because she can’t get hurt or die, she doesn't think twice about throwing herself into dangerous situations for them. Vera dismisses her own bravery, framing it as a low-stakes action because she physically has nothing to lose. But I have to disagree with her here: she actually risks everything. By drawing attention to herself, she runs the very real risk of being found out, which would force her to flee, lose the friendships and the life she’s cultivating, and start entirely over. She could always choose to do nothing and stay perfectly hidden, but she still chooses to act.
It made me think about how often people in the real world refuse to do even the smallest things to help others, even when it wouldn't negatively affect their day-to-day lives at all. You just have to look at the millionaires and billionaires who hoard their wealth rather than give to charity, when a life-changing donation would amount to little more than a pittance or an accounting error to them. Vera, despite having the ultimate excuse to detach from humanity, actively chooses to participate in it.
But honestly, my favorite way to read this was as a story about a delayed coming-of-age and feeling completely lost in your own life. Vera’s immortality is almost a metaphor for the walls we build to protect ourselves. She is so afraid of making real connections (grant it, this is part logistics but also rooted in trauma), and it’s deeply relatable to see her compare her own path to her brother’s more traditional wealth and success. Watching her slowly lower her guard to let in new friends, genuine happiness, and (finally!) a romance—all while staying completely true to herself, working as a ranger, and living exactly how she wants—was incredibly satisfying.
April 14, 2026
Vera Van Valkenburgh has lived a long life— one-hundred-eighty-eight years as a twenty-six year-old, to be exact. She has returned to the New York community in the Catskills valley where she was born, raised, and became an immortal. She is not a vampire or any creature of that sort, just someone who heals fast and comes back from the brink every time. She should know. She is suicidal (as much of that as her condition allows), and determined to find the source of her curse to reverse it, if possible. She has a job as a forest ranger, a job she has done in other places, under other aliases. Now she is using her real name, in her home turf, within a close-knit community that she is starting to care about.
A few months into her stay, Vera learns that a shadow company is buying properties and their adjacent land in the valley— they are researching eternal healing with medical purposes, or so they claim. Their main representative is Eli, Vera’s brother; he and his lover, the company’s chief researcher, are convinced that the source of their power— for they too are eternals— may be one of the mountain streams that feed the river.
Family, community and work will fill their days, but… will it be possible to keep unplanned events at bay?
The Fountain starts very vaguely: a woman who has lived a long life, has finally returned home after a lifetime away. She keeps people at bay. It’s obvious that a certain event in the past has left an indelible mark in her psyche, reason why wants to end it all— only she can’t, she is immortal. There’s this persistent mystery of what happened to her and why it has affected her so, but the author won’t go there…for a long while! Which, if I’m honest, started grating on me. Luckily I gave the story time because it is quite an unique yarn. Once the plot starts unfolding, the initial teases get more nuanced. Initially I thought she was a creature of the night, but no, she was just an excellent healer. Her life has been rough, mostly purposeless. She loved once but lost her lover tragically, and, realizing that all the life ahead of her may be more of the same, she wants out.
Touching on themes such as identity, belonging, and the importance of community, The Fountain is a literary genre bender with sprinkles of humor, fantasy, science, romance, and lots of drama. I didn’t find it as appealing as other readers did, but it was a sufficiently unique story to enjoy and hold my interest for a while.
A few months into her stay, Vera learns that a shadow company is buying properties and their adjacent land in the valley— they are researching eternal healing with medical purposes, or so they claim. Their main representative is Eli, Vera’s brother; he and his lover, the company’s chief researcher, are convinced that the source of their power— for they too are eternals— may be one of the mountain streams that feed the river.
Family, community and work will fill their days, but… will it be possible to keep unplanned events at bay?
The Fountain starts very vaguely: a woman who has lived a long life, has finally returned home after a lifetime away. She keeps people at bay. It’s obvious that a certain event in the past has left an indelible mark in her psyche, reason why wants to end it all— only she can’t, she is immortal. There’s this persistent mystery of what happened to her and why it has affected her so, but the author won’t go there…for a long while! Which, if I’m honest, started grating on me. Luckily I gave the story time because it is quite an unique yarn. Once the plot starts unfolding, the initial teases get more nuanced. Initially I thought she was a creature of the night, but no, she was just an excellent healer. Her life has been rough, mostly purposeless. She loved once but lost her lover tragically, and, realizing that all the life ahead of her may be more of the same, she wants out.
Touching on themes such as identity, belonging, and the importance of community, The Fountain is a literary genre bender with sprinkles of humor, fantasy, science, romance, and lots of drama. I didn’t find it as appealing as other readers did, but it was a sufficiently unique story to enjoy and hold my interest for a while.
April 15, 2026
Overall, I really enjoyed The Fountain. I think it maybe went on a little too long, and I thought some of the big reveals were pretty obvious. The story on the surface seems like a woman grappling with immortality, but I liked that Scieszka really thought about what that would be like and gave us multiple perspectives from different people, showing how they view it as a gift or a curse and also how they think their many lives should be spent. The ethics of immortality are pretty interesting! I was hoping for some discussion of whether the mind stays intact if you don't age and what the implications of that would be, but I guess you would just stay sharp (which makes Vera's failure to connect some dots frustrating...I don't think I should be smarter than a 200 year-old).
My main quibbles are these: I understand that over her life Vera had experienced many traumatic things, but I was disappointed that even after 200 years, she hadn't found a good way to deal with past trauma and her anxiety. She was always so worried about being suspicious and I felt like her staring into the distance, completely dissociating, or acting overtly suspicious were her most suspicious behaviors. I became annoyed with her at points because readers are told how good Vera is at reading people and predicting behavior and she is wrong a lot of the time (often by anticipating something incorrectly and spiraling off that). There's really no character growth with Vera, just some very early signs of her changing her mind. I think I was expecting that with living for so long, Vera would have a deep understanding of lots of things that come with experience and time, but she mostly seemed like a regular person whose skills and mental capacities had been preserved along with her body (aside from fishing and other outdoor activities, I guess). We are outright told this is not the case, so this dissonance confused me.
I liked the surprising last line, and think this could have a nice sequel for us to see what Vera does with that information (though I like that it encourages the reader to speculate on their own).
Megan Tusing was a great narrator. Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC!
My main quibbles are these: I understand that over her life Vera had experienced many traumatic things, but I was disappointed that even after 200 years, she hadn't found a good way to deal with past trauma and her anxiety. She was always so worried about being suspicious and I felt like her staring into the distance, completely dissociating, or acting overtly suspicious were her most suspicious behaviors. I became annoyed with her at points because readers are told how good Vera is at reading people and predicting behavior and she is wrong a lot of the time (often by anticipating something incorrectly and spiraling off that). There's really no character growth with Vera, just some very early signs of her changing her mind. I think I was expecting that with living for so long, Vera would have a deep understanding of lots of things that come with experience and time, but she mostly seemed like a regular person whose skills and mental capacities had been preserved along with her body (aside from fishing and other outdoor activities, I guess). We are outright told this is not the case, so this dissonance confused me.
I liked the surprising last line, and think this could have a nice sequel for us to see what Vera does with that information (though I like that it encourages the reader to speculate on their own).
Megan Tusing was a great narrator. Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Fountain is one of those rare books that doesn’t just explore immortality but makes the reader question whether forever might be less a gift than an unbearable weight. Casey Scieszka reframes eternal life not as wonder, but as exhaustion: a slow accumulation of grief, detachment, and longing that no one person was ever meant to carry. The result is a deeply moving story about an indestructible woman who has lived far too long and wants, more than anything, to be allowed to stop or at least to go home.
Vera is an extraordinary protagonist. Frozen at twenty-six yet centuries old, she feels both hyper-present and untethered, as though time has worn her thin. Her memories surface in vivid, almost tactile fragments that enrich the narrative without ever stalling it, creating a sense of a life (many lives) layered beneath the present. The Catskills setting is rendered with stunning specificity. The town itself becomes a kind of emotional anchor, a place where history lingers. The neighborhood dynamics and side characters are particularly strong; each one feels distinct, warm, flawed, and utterly real.
There is a lot happening beneath the surface: the mystery of her family’s immortality, the unsettling corporate land grab, the tentative emergence of connection after centuries of isolation. Yet the novel never feels crowded. Everything feeds back into the central question of whether a life without an ending can still have meaning.
And the ending, I genuinely loved it. It lands with both surprise and inevitability. It doesn’t betray the emotional core of the story; instead, it sharpens it, leaving you with a sense of strange peace.
This is a stunning debut, thoughtful, atmospheric, and deeply human despite its fantastical premise.
4.25
Thank you to Harper and Libro.fm for the advanced physical and audio copies.
Vera is an extraordinary protagonist. Frozen at twenty-six yet centuries old, she feels both hyper-present and untethered, as though time has worn her thin. Her memories surface in vivid, almost tactile fragments that enrich the narrative without ever stalling it, creating a sense of a life (many lives) layered beneath the present. The Catskills setting is rendered with stunning specificity. The town itself becomes a kind of emotional anchor, a place where history lingers. The neighborhood dynamics and side characters are particularly strong; each one feels distinct, warm, flawed, and utterly real.
There is a lot happening beneath the surface: the mystery of her family’s immortality, the unsettling corporate land grab, the tentative emergence of connection after centuries of isolation. Yet the novel never feels crowded. Everything feeds back into the central question of whether a life without an ending can still have meaning.
And the ending, I genuinely loved it. It lands with both surprise and inevitability. It doesn’t betray the emotional core of the story; instead, it sharpens it, leaving you with a sense of strange peace.
This is a stunning debut, thoughtful, atmospheric, and deeply human despite its fantastical premise.
4.25
Thank you to Harper and Libro.fm for the advanced physical and audio copies.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
In The Fountain, Vera is more than 200 years old while also being forever 26. She, her brother, and her mother all encountered something all those years ago that made them immortal. She has tested out that immortality theory numerous times, and right there in chapter 1, as well. Vera is tired. Weary. Sick of it all. She has outlived loves, family, jobs, communities, and her own will to live because how can life have meaning if it goes on forever? She has returned to her family property from all those years ago to find the source of her immortality and attempt to reverse it. As she gets connected with the community and still unable to figure things out, a mysterious company is buying up all the surrounding land.
Less lit fic and more bookclub or beach read, this is a very readable and fun magical realism book that looks at themes of immortality, family, and connection vs self-isolation in a familiar yet new way. My advance copy has quotes on the cover by some pretty cool people, and even one that calls it the Tuck Everlasting for adults. You guys, Tuck is in my top 10 children’s books. Maybe top 5. Let me think… yeah top 5. Does this book live up to that hype? Not quite, but that’s a very high bar. I loved this book anyway. 4.25 stars
Thanks to Harper, Harper Audio, Casey Scieszka (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital review copy and advance listening copy of The Fountain (narrated by Megan Tusing). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.
Less lit fic and more bookclub or beach read, this is a very readable and fun magical realism book that looks at themes of immortality, family, and connection vs self-isolation in a familiar yet new way. My advance copy has quotes on the cover by some pretty cool people, and even one that calls it the Tuck Everlasting for adults. You guys, Tuck is in my top 10 children’s books. Maybe top 5. Let me think… yeah top 5. Does this book live up to that hype? Not quite, but that’s a very high bar. I loved this book anyway. 4.25 stars
Thanks to Harper, Harper Audio, Casey Scieszka (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital review copy and advance listening copy of The Fountain (narrated by Megan Tusing). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.
March 22, 2026
I love it when an author takes a well explored idea and manages to do something new and interesting with it.
In this book the main character, Vera, is immortal but seriously messed up. For her immortality has been a series of dead end jobs while she tries to stay under the radar to avoid becoming a laboratory specimen, and this culminated in four days trapped in agony under a landslide unable to die. This has left her traumatised and fed up of immortality and she just wants to die. The book is about her return to her home town to try to find the source of the immortality in the hope she can reverse it. Various adventures ensue, in the course of which she finds love and decides to live again.
It's a feel good book set in a small town where everyone is basically nice, and I finished the book with a foolish grin on my face. It's quite a slow moving book, but it's well written and I found it captivating. I read the entire book in a single day instead of doing all the chores I was supposed to (books are better than chores anyway!).
The book isn't without its faults. The author can't decide if the immortality is science or magic. It's presented as science but really it's at the Wolverine scale of scientific credibility - one of the (other immortal) characters is burned to a pile of charred bones and manages to regenerate to full health in two days. Also the ending, where we discover the source of the immortality, is a little underwhelming. Still, I loved this book and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes books that leave you with a warm glow.
In this book the main character, Vera, is immortal but seriously messed up. For her immortality has been a series of dead end jobs while she tries to stay under the radar to avoid becoming a laboratory specimen, and this culminated in four days trapped in agony under a landslide unable to die. This has left her traumatised and fed up of immortality and she just wants to die. The book is about her return to her home town to try to find the source of the immortality in the hope she can reverse it. Various adventures ensue, in the course of which she finds love and decides to live again.
It's a feel good book set in a small town where everyone is basically nice, and I finished the book with a foolish grin on my face. It's quite a slow moving book, but it's well written and I found it captivating. I read the entire book in a single day instead of doing all the chores I was supposed to (books are better than chores anyway!).
The book isn't without its faults. The author can't decide if the immortality is science or magic. It's presented as science but really it's at the Wolverine scale of scientific credibility - one of the (other immortal) characters is burned to a pile of charred bones and manages to regenerate to full health in two days. Also the ending, where we discover the source of the immortality, is a little underwhelming. Still, I loved this book and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes books that leave you with a warm glow.
April 14, 2026
Give me a book with Addie LaRue comps, and I’m in. Give me one that’s shelved with literary fiction and takes place in the Catskills, and I’m SUPER in. And when I find out that Emma Straub called it “Tuck Everlasting for grown-ups”?? I’m ALL THE WAY in.
The Fountain is about a woman named Vera who returns to her childhood home in the Hudson Valley after many years. Nearly 200 years, in fact, because Vera can’t die. She’s convinced that whatever made her that way is located there in the Catskills, and if she can find it, she can reverse it. Then a mysterious company starts buying up tons of property in the area, and let’s just say entanglements ensue.
I have some plot squabbles with this book (DM me if you’ve read it and want to chat!), but on the whole, I had a really good time with it. It worked fabulously on audiobook — the perfect mix of clear prose, strong dialogue, and a central mystery to keep the plot moving. I think it will be an easy hit with lots of different types of readers, and I’m excited to talk about it with my IRL book club in May.
But what really puts the cherry on top of this book is the sense of place. Casey Scieszka lives and owns an inn in the Hudson Valley, and it’s clear how much love she has for the area. You will feel transported. I’m really looking forward to stay at the inn later this year for a little reading retreat! (I dare you to read this and not book a trip of your own.)
One important note: If you are sensitive to depictions of suicidal thoughts or attempts, please do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one.
The Fountain is about a woman named Vera who returns to her childhood home in the Hudson Valley after many years. Nearly 200 years, in fact, because Vera can’t die. She’s convinced that whatever made her that way is located there in the Catskills, and if she can find it, she can reverse it. Then a mysterious company starts buying up tons of property in the area, and let’s just say entanglements ensue.
I have some plot squabbles with this book (DM me if you’ve read it and want to chat!), but on the whole, I had a really good time with it. It worked fabulously on audiobook — the perfect mix of clear prose, strong dialogue, and a central mystery to keep the plot moving. I think it will be an easy hit with lots of different types of readers, and I’m excited to talk about it with my IRL book club in May.
But what really puts the cherry on top of this book is the sense of place. Casey Scieszka lives and owns an inn in the Hudson Valley, and it’s clear how much love she has for the area. You will feel transported. I’m really looking forward to stay at the inn later this year for a little reading retreat! (I dare you to read this and not book a trip of your own.)
One important note: If you are sensitive to depictions of suicidal thoughts or attempts, please do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I saw a review of this book saying that it was like Tuck Everlasting for adults. Tuck Everlasting was my FAVORITE book in middle school, so I thought I would give it a shot. Wow. I loved this book. It was so freaking good!!! I loved everything about it. It kept me guessing until the end, I had no idea how anything was going to turn out/it was not predictable. I don't want to give away much of the plot of the novel, so I will just share the things that I really enjoyed about it:
- The main character, Vera, is so well written. She is 200 years old, but stuck in the body of a 26 year old. I loved the random memories of times past she had. She was someone that I would like to know, even if I didn't know that she was immortal. The character development as well!!
- The setting. It takes place in the Catskills in New York. It makes me want to go to there!! It sounds beautiful. She describes it so well and it is so dreamy.
- The romance subplot. At first I thought it was going a little too slow, but it made sense as the book went on. Vera opens her heart for the first time in a very long time and it is really satisfying.
- The ending.
I have read 22 books so far in 2026 and this one was my favorite!
- The main character, Vera, is so well written. She is 200 years old, but stuck in the body of a 26 year old. I loved the random memories of times past she had. She was someone that I would like to know, even if I didn't know that she was immortal. The character development as well!!
- The setting. It takes place in the Catskills in New York. It makes me want to go to there!! It sounds beautiful. She describes it so well and it is so dreamy.
- The romance subplot. At first I thought it was going a little too slow, but it made sense as the book went on. Vera opens her heart for the first time in a very long time and it is really satisfying.
- The ending.
I have read 22 books so far in 2026 and this one was my favorite!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.5 stars rounded up. Incredibly thought provoking and well written. I started the book, skeptical it would be as good as I thought the synopsis sounded. Quickly, I realized that this was not just an average "what if you could live forever" type book. As the plot unfolded, I couldn't wait to see what would happen. How was Vera going to continue in this life with Eli and Lydia?
The only thing that stopped The Fountain from being a five star read for me was a few unanswered questions that were left nagging at me. I found that the entire story was full and rich, the main characters were developed in such a way that they felt like real people. However, I didn't really understand what made Vera make a huge choice that she did. I understand her up until that point and I understood the choice but what made her make it? I didn't feel like it was ever really explained. I also had a question about Lydia, but I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it alone. These questions didn't take away from the excellent writing or really great plot they just keep me wondering is all.
The narration is excellent.
Advanced listener copy provided by Harper Audio but all opinions are my own.
The only thing that stopped The Fountain from being a five star read for me was a few unanswered questions that were left nagging at me. I found that the entire story was full and rich, the main characters were developed in such a way that they felt like real people. However, I didn't really understand what made Vera make a huge choice that she did. I understand her up until that point and I understood the choice but what made her make it? I didn't feel like it was ever really explained. I also had a question about Lydia, but I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it alone. These questions didn't take away from the excellent writing or really great plot they just keep me wondering is all.
The narration is excellent.
Advanced listener copy provided by Harper Audio but all opinions are my own.
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