Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Year of Publication: 2020
Date of Publication: October 6, 2020
Pages: 448
ISBN-10: 0765387565
ISBN-13: 978-0765387561
Audiobook Narrator: Julia Whelan
Summary
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab tells the story of Adeline “Addie” LaRue. Addie is a woman who lives in France and has from a young age wanted to travel and see more of the world. In 1714, she makes a pact with a mysterious god to live forever in order to avoid an arranged marriage. The problem with her Faustian bargain is that once she steps out of sight, she is immediately forgotten and so while she gains immortality, since no one remembers her, the cost is perpetual solitude.
We follow Addie’s journey over centuries and her experiences of different continents. Addie has always loved movies and art, and so during this time, she influences art and history in very subtle ways. She is unable to speak her name or acquire artifacts and things of wealth, the only thing she cannot get rid of is a ring she used to love wearing before she made the pact.
But everything changes in 2014 when she meets Henry Strauss at a bookstore. For some unknown reason, Henry unlike all other people, remembers her. Their relationship challenges the boundaries of her curse since this was not supposed to happen and had never happened in all the years since she made the pact.
The rest of the story is about love and the desire to leave a lasting mark on the world.
“I remember you.”— Henry Strauss
Main Plot & Characters
- Addie LaRue: A woman from 18th-century France who wants freedom beyond the confines of her small village and makes a pact that changes her life.
- Luc: A god of the night who strikes the bargain with Addie. From time to time, he appears to remind Addie of their deal and to tempt her to surrender her soul.
- Henry Strauss: A bookstore employee in 2014 New York City who, unlike others, remembers Addie after their first meeting. Henry is dealing with his own struggles but his connection with Addie changes both their lives.
- Bea: Henry’s best friend. She’s smart, loyal, and knows about his struggles. She also works at The Last Word bookstore with him.
- Robbie: Henry’s ex-boyfriend and part of their friend group.
- Tabitha Byrne: Henry’s ex-girlfriend.
Writing Style
Schwab tells the story by mixing historical settings with modern-day scenes. In terms of the timeline, she writes each chapter in different timelines. While some go as far back as 1714, others take place in more recent times i.e. 2014. Again, while some of the story takes place in France, where Addie was originally from, others take place in New York City. But remarkably, Schwab writes the book in such a beautiful way that despite the back and forth timeline, the story is clear and very easy to follow.
The story is told initially from Addie’s perspective but later in the book, it alternates between Addie and Henry’s perspectives and that connects their stories. The characters in the book are extremely likeable and the way their journey comes together is nothing short of amazing.
Favorite Quotes
- “The old gods may be great, but they are neither kind nor merciful. They are fickle, unsteady as moonlight on water, or shadows in a storm. If you insist on calling them, take heed: be careful what you ask for, be willing to pay the price. And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.”—Estele, the village woman who warns Addie about the dark gods
- “What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”— Narration, a recurring line that reflects Addie’s desire to leave a legacy
- “Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.”— Narration, describing Addie’s relationship with literature over the centuries
- “Blink, and the years fall away like leaves.”— Narration, illustrating the passage of time in Addie’s immortal life
- “I remember you.”— Henry Strauss, the first person in 300 years to remember Addie after meeting her
- “Live long enough, and you learn how to read a person. To ease them open like a book, some passages underlined and others hidden between the lines.— Narration
- “But ideas are so much wilder than memories, so much faster to take root.”— Luc
- “Art is about ideas. And ideas are wilder than memories. They are like weeds, always finding their way up.”— Addie
- “Not a library”— Henry Strauss referencing a running joke between him and Bea.
- “You see, only new gods have locks.”—Estele
- “Memories are stiff, but thoughts are freer things. They throw out root, they spread and tangle, and come untethered from their source. They are clever, and stubborn and perhaps—perhaps— they are in reach.”— Addie
Final Thoughts on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is currently being adapted into a movie and it’s a beautiful story that should be told. But when I first saw this, I thought this cannot be correct information as I had already seen the movie, The Age of Adaline (starring Blake Lively), which came out in 2015 and assumed it was based on this book and incorrectly expected the same storyline.
You can’t blame me, because both books do indeed depict women who won’t age and truly do have to contend with long lonely existences, and even the names “Addie” “Adeline,” and “Adaline” are so close! But here is the catch and somewhat surprising twist, the movie The Age of Adaline was actually released five years before the book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue came out.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of those books that gets more exciting with each chapter. Looking forward to seeing the movie and can’t wait to see the characters Addie, Henry and most especially Luc, come to life!
There are some other books that have explored different lifetimes or alternative lives include Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, The Midnight Library, and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub.
