The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was another different type of read for me: fantasy. This creative story by V.E. Schwab is rich and complex; it’s detailed and emotional; it’s sweet and exciting. There are SO many things going on in this behemoth of a novel.
What’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue about?
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is about a 1700s French peasant woman, Addie, who makes a deal with a demon to escape an impending marriage and life stuck in the country as someone’s underappreciated wife. The demon grants her wish and gives her the power to live forever, though the caveat is that no one will remember her. What follows are glimpses into her life over the centuries until she meets the one person who does remember her.
Sound a little complicated? Yeah.
Remember “Ten-Second Tom” from the movie Fifty First Dates? “Tom” is pretty much what happens with Addie. As soon as someone takes their eyes off Addie, they immediately forget who is she, what’s she’s doing there, and that they’ve been involved with her. And, “involved” can mean anything from talking to Addie for five minutes to having a romantic relationship with her every day for months.
The (eventual) magic of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is slow to start. There’s a lot of historical detail, and there’s a lot of repetition as the author takes you through a day in the life of a woman who lives forever but no one remembers. Schwab, with her beautiful imagery, makes you feel Addie’s loneliness in the pit of your stomach; it’s like a deep hole, a penetrating ache. It becomes palpable. The isolated existence Addie endures for centuries is stunning in its heartbreak.
Can you imagine what 300 years of not even being a blip on anyone’s radar would be like? It seems unbearable. Which makes it all that more momentous when Addie meets the one person who does remember her the next day…and the next…and the next.
Meeting Henry made me realize why we had to go through a bit of tedium at the onset of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. That moment when Addie realizes that someone, finally someone, remembers her wouldn’t have been as impactful if Schwab hadn’t repeatedly drilled it into our heads what a lonely and depressing existence she led.
Congrats, Schwab, on turning my thoughts of “OMG, this is dull” into realizations of “Holy crap, it is BRILLIANT how she set this all up!”
So, readers, if you’re like me and wondering when The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue kicks into high gear… wait for it.
Sympathy for a devil
A main reason to keep reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is Luc, the one other character who’s able to remember Addie day after day. Luc (as in Lucifer. Get it? GET IT?) is the demon who gave her this “gift” of eternal life. Said demon is first referred to as “The Darkness” but later is named “Luc.”
I’m a complete sucker for the dark forces; anytime someone’s dancing with a demon, I’m in. The part of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue that finally grabbed and held my attention was Addie’s first anniversary meeting with The Darkness/Luc.
While the scenes between Addie and Henry are sweet and wonderful and endearing because of what their relationship means to both of them, all my favorite scenes were when Luc showed up and he and Addie played off one another.
For me, it’s Luc who really brings 300-year old Addie to life.
Should you read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue?
Even if you’re not a historical fiction or fantasy reader, I urge you to try reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Once I was hooked on this story, I was hooked. The more I read, the more elegant turns of phrase I noticed, and the more I fell in love with the author’s writing.
This was my first Schwab book, and I can see why so many people adore her work. In terms of balancing a very complicated plotline, immersing the reader in the story, creating dynamic characters, and building a creative 300-year-old history for one character, I’d say Schwab earned her stars with this one. I ended up loving The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for The Invisible Life of Addie la Rue?
Be sure to check back in for my book-inspired recipe: Raspberry Rose Profiteroles!
I read this last year and enjoyed it, although there were a couple of anachronisms that kind of skipped the record for me a bit.
Hi, Trish! Y’know, someone else mention anachronisms to me, but I don’t think I picked up on any. Or, if I did, they obviously didn’t bother me much, lol. But I can definitely see how those could detract from the overall experience.
Great review! I mean to get started on Schwab’s books; I was going to start with her Vicious / Vengeful duo, but this one sounds pretty special.
Hi, Nicola! I’ve since read City of Ghosts by this author (writing as Victoria Schwab, I think), and I really liked that one, too. It’s YA and takes place in haunted Edinburgh. Apparently, it’s part of a series. I recommend it if you’re looking for something a little spooky but still fun and relatively light-hearted.
I read this recently and absolutely loved it. A rare book that I will re-read every few years.
That’s a tanker of a book to re-read! But I hear you, Heather. So many people love this author’s stories; it’s easy to see wanting to get lost in them over and over again.