Book Review :: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
ISBN: 178909559X
Published by Titan Books
on 2020-10-06
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult
Pages: 560
Goodreads

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore, and he remembers her name.

Last updated on 10 November 2021

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What is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab about?

“A life no one will remember. A story you will never forget.”

That’s exactly what The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was like.

In France, 1714, a young woman made a deal. A deal she thought would solve her problems, would give her freedom. But when you make a deal with the dark, you’ll not get what you expect.

Adeline LaRue, 23 forever. Blessed with long life, cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. For 300 years Addie walks the earth, practically alone. The Dark visits her every so often, the only being who remembers who, but on the whole, she is alone. She has no home, no money, what she has she steals, for after she leaves a place the shop, the owner, the proprietor will forget she was even there. She makes do.

Until, in her 300th year, she finally meets someone. 

Someone who says ‘I remember you’.

“Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because visions weaken, and voices wither, and talent fades…. Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end… everyone wants to be remembered.”

Henry Strauss is the only person Addie has not had to re-introduce herself to. He’s the only one who remembers her after she left his sight. He’s the only one.

As Addie and Henry try to figure out why it is, what makes Henry special, new information comes to light … but will it make or break the only human Addie has ever had a connection with?

“What she needs are stories. Stories are a way to preserve one’s self. To be remembered. And to forget. Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books. Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.”

My thoughts on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a masterpiece. I expected nothing less from VE Schwab. A Darker Shade of Magic is one of my favourite books. I was hesitant at first, I must admit, to read Addie. The tense is third-person present tense, something which I do not enjoy reading at all, but after the first chapter or so I realised just how fitting it was for the book and I found my groove. 

The story spans centuries, all throughout Addie’s life. There are flashbacks to moments in history where she has learnt new things, met new people (again and again and again), had one-day relationships that have lasted months, talked with the Dark. 

And then there are chapters with Henry, in the present (2014), and who Addie has become.

Victoria VE Schwab is a formidable writer and storyteller. She weaves Addie’s story (a tale that has been forming in Schwab’s head for a decade or so) with art and music and literature, with friendship and love, with connection and thought-provoking lines and ideas.

“Ideas are so much wilder than memories.”

While the idea behind Addie LaRue is a little fantastical – that of the fantasy genre, I mean – you could hate fantasy and still love this book. It’s a tale that can be enjoyed by many, and one that I hope you will pick up if you haven’t already.

Victoria, you have done it again. And if I have to wait another 10 years for a book of this calibre, I will wait.

Have you read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue? What did you think? Leave a comment below and let me know!