2 min to read

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Title
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author
V.E. Schwab
Published date
06.10.2021
Publisher
Titan Books

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” is a fantasy novel by V. E. Schwab based on the Faustian bargain theme. Addie LaRue, desperate to escape forced marriage and to live her whole life in a tiny village, pleads for help to whatever god could help her. One of them answers and offers a deal, which she accepts without blinking an eye. But as it usually happens, it’s not precisely what Addie was hoping for. She escapes the life the village planned for her, but the price is that she will forever be forgotten by anyone she meets as soon as they turn their eyes away from her.

I liked how the author showed the perks and shortfalls of Addie’s new life. She could not die, but she could suffer endlessly, starve, freeze over and bleed out. She was forgotten as soon as she left the room, but she was not a ghost to do as she pleased. I enjoyed watching Addie explore and learn about the specifics of her curse.

I loved Addie for her stubbornness. No matter how bad her situation was, she kept fighting and never gave up. I also enjoyed her ever-changing relationship with Luc (the devil), from initial hate to longing for his company, as he was the only one who remembers her, to the realisation that she could never fully accept what he is and pretend not to see his darkness.

Henry’s introduction to the story and how his and Addie’s path crossed as if they were destined to meet was very smooth. I enjoyed the convention of slowly unravelling the story by mixing the current events with the retrospective chapters from both characters’ pasts. I think the author did a great job of building her protagonists because while reading, I could feel their desperation and anguish, and it all felt authentic.

The main motive across the whole story was that the ideas, once planted, will always preserve, one way or another. It was fascinating to watch Addie working tirelessly to put her own ideas into people she met so that even though they couldn’t remember her, she would still leave her traces on the world.

It was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year because I really felt for the characters and loved the plot twisting and turning in the span of over three hundred years. The book is wonderfully written, and the author knows precisely which heartstring to pull to make readers love the characters and live through their tragedies as if they were dear friends. I highly recommend it.

*****