The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: V.E. Schwab

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She leans forward and fogs the glass with her breath. Draws her fingertip through the cloud as she tries to write her name. A—d— In 1703, Addie is 12. Her mother urges her to be more like Isabelle Therault, their neighbor’s sweet and demure daughter, but Addie longs for adventure. Addie goes to visit Estele, an old woman who tells her about the old gods. To call on them, you must be humble and offer a gift of something that is precious to you. Estele warns that you must be careful what you wish for, and to “never pray to the gods that answer after dark”. Addie finds Estele’s hut and uses a lantern flame to start the hearth. Fifty years in, and she’s still learning what the curse prevents and permits her to do. (“She cannot make a thing, but she can use it. She cannot break a thing, but she can steal it. She cannot start a fire, but she can keep it going.”) There are days when she mourns the prospect of another year, another decade, another century. There are nights when she cannot sleep, moments when she lies awake and dreams of dying. But then she wakes, and sees the pink and orange dawn against the clouds,hears the lament of a lone fiddle, the music and the melody, and remembers there is such beauty in the world. And she does not want to miss it – any of it.”

First things first, the thing that stood out to me the most while reading this book was the writing. Schwab was born to be an author. Her writing was almost lyrical and poetic. She was able to write emotions so effortlessly! There is one chapter near the end of the book in Henry's POV that just gave me chills. I could feel how lost he was and how he was just drifting through the days all because of the writing, it was just so powerful. I cannot describe how much I loved it. Addie revisits her hometown again and Luc shows up. Once again, he asks if she’d ready to surrender, and once again she insists she’s just getting started. He leaves. The last exhibit of The Artifact is a painting exhibit. Addie tries to draw, but the paint disappears. Instead, Henry tells Addie to place her hand on his, and she directs him, writing her name. With his hand under hers, the paint remains. It’s Addie’s 300th becoming-immortal-anniversary. Addie and Henry go to the beach and they exchange “I love you”s during the day. However, Addie does not want Luc to find them together in case he visits at night.

Quick(-ish) Recap

Poetic and heartrending, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is perfect for fans of time travel stories, historical fiction, and fantasy alike." — The Register-Herald 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.

Henry has only a year to live. But Addie makes a deal with Luc to keep Henry alive. Let’s discuss this turn of events. After Addie leaves Remy’s place, Luc finally pays her a visit, the first in four years. He senses her weakness and asks if she’s ready to give up her soul, but she says no. That night, Addie decides to learn how to read. Do you think Addie loves Henry? Or does she love that he can remember her? How does her relationship with Henry differ from her relationship with Luc? In present day, Addie survives by stealing and sneaking into others' apartments to sleep. She can't give people her real name or tell her story. She also cannot keep a home or keep possessions. The exception is a wooden ring, which she cannot get rid of. She walks into a used bookstore to steal a book, but is caught by the clerk, Henry. But he lets her take it anyway.Addie LaRue made a deal. A deal that she thought would free her from her confined life and let her really live. But the darkness is not a magical fairy godmother, it is a God who does not give things out for free. Addie soon realises the price she had to pay and after hundreds of years as a ghost she meets Henry. Who remembers. Last year, eOne acquired rights to the movie, which will be produced by Gerard Butler’s company G-Base. Butler, Alan Siegel and Danielle Robinson of G-Base will serve as producers alongside Schwab. Ilda Diffley will executive produce. Jillian Share, Laurel Thomson and Ashley Alexander will oversee for eOne. In 1714, Addie is 23 and engaged, but she longs to be free. As she prays to the old gods, the night falls and the devil answers. Addie asks to live freely and to have more time. As a gift, she offers her favorite possession, a carved wooden ring, but the devil rejects it. Instead, she offers the devil her soul when she is done with it, and he accepts. She is given eternal life, but no one can remember her (she wanted to "live freely"). As soon as she leaves their sight, they forget her. They say if you look through a wooden ring on the 29th night of July, just after dark, you’d see a wraith wandering valleys and alleys—singing, sighing, seeking. And if you lean in, shell of an ear pressed to the ring, you would hear the

Addie finds herself waiting and hoping for his next visits. At first it is just sex, but then it’s more than that. She realizes she no longer hates him and tries to remind herself that he is not human and this is not love. Whilst I appreciated that Schwab was focused more on the implications of the curse and what Addie had lost, exploring themes such as identity, memory, loneliness and connecting with others as well as leaving a mark on the world, that is not to say that if Schwab ever decided to write a spin off book following Addie on her travels through time, I would not lap it up, as I would be intrigued to delve further into her thoughts on a changing world and experiencing different cultures. One of the most haunting and bittersweetly beautiful novels I have ever read...a mature, introspective love story, and a thoughtful examination of what it means to have a life well lived.” — Manhattan Mercury News (Kansas) At the end of the night, Addie sleeps with Remy, the first man she sleeps with out of desire as opposed to necessity. She thinks of herself as a palimpsest, to be written over by someone new and better. She is happy and warm beside him. But he wakes confused and does not recognize her. Her heart breaks. Unsure what to do, he gives her some money and she leaves.This entire story truly is a love letter to art and the beautiful, awe inspiring, mind-blowing way stories are held within art, therefore held in so many hearts forever. Maybe even creating and inspiring other art, to make the sweetest ripple effect of them all. Art and stories are so powerful because they have the power to heal wounds that are too deep to be touched by other things. From feeling love, to feeling not alone, to inspiring, to escape, to be thought provoking, to be educational, to make you realize things you have been forced to internalize and unlearn, to something as simple yet as hard as happiness. This section opens with a series of photographs of blurred woman as she turns way, entitled The Girl Who Got Away. They are photographs that Henry took of Addie. It’s part of an exhibit by Bea about Addie.

Also, friendly reminder that life is truly a vast range of up and down journeys! And you, and your journey, are valid, and I see you no matter how hard that journey feels at times. There will be lots of heavy days, but lots of light days too, I promise. And you are so worthy of love, and kindness, and respect, no matter where you are at on your journey. And feeling too much is not a curse, ever. And I’m proud of you, and you are never alone with what you are feeling, and sometimes we all need help with some storms: http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org)In the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life , The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab's genre-defying tour de force.