The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

by V. E. Schwab

This read is so completely different from my recent reads that I deliberately took it slow, taking the time to process every shortened reading session’s passages, thinking on what I read and how it left me feeling.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue really makes you think about the passage of time and its impact on you, your view of how time is passing you, and your feelings on the fact that your time is limited. While everyone, at some point, feels they struggle with time, I have a similar view and feeling in relation to the passage of time as Addie does. Time feels as though it’s slipping by much too fast, that I’m moving slower than time is, so days feel like hours, weeks feel like days, and I feel as though I’m losing time that I can’t even feel pass by. That I’m not accomplishing and/or doing nearly enough in relation to the time passing.

This is my first V.E. Schwab book, so maybe this is just true of her general writing style, but The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the first book I’ve ever picked up that read like it would be a better experience being read aloud instead of just words on a page. It feels like a story that was designed to be told to younger generations, that it was a story experienced, not just a story recorded.

On the note of not reading other V. E. Schwab’s books, I’m glad this is my first of hers. I relate to Addie LaRue in a way I don’t think I’ll relate to her other characters, leaving my first impression of Schwab’s work as pure as possible. This read will likely motivate me to finally pick up her other books, this time with my expectations on character relations being realistic rather than trumped or hyped up.

Even hyped up, this book met my expectations. It’s definitely a book I’m dying to get in physical form, feel the pages turning as the story progresses, the weight of the book in my hands, the beautiful cover to stare at when I’m not reading but want to be.

I don’t in any way view this book as the best work that Schwab has ever written. I don’t think every work from here on out by her will be lesser in anyway. Many people have gone on to say that The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the book Schwab was always meant to write, and, while that may be true, having written Addie’s story, I think, will instead open the doors for new ideas to come in, for Schwab to improve on her craft, and give us an even better story yet. Addie’s story is one that has taken Schwab a long time to finally finalize, and I don’t think that’s something a lot of people are taking into account. Perhaps Addie’s story is the book Schwab was always destined to write, not because it’s the peak of her work, but because it’s been such a long time coming that the reader is left feeling exactly that – that Addie’s story is a deliberate, slow-burning, intentional message that has been nursed over years rather than weeks or months. That Addie’s lesson and message is something that would have been diminished by a quick write, so now it’s able to be deeper, have a greater impact, and really resonate with her readers.

And, perhaps, by going through this time-consuming project, Schwab will be able to do this, again, but faster for another story, another lesson, another character.

I believe this story isn’t her peak, but rather the beginning of even better books to come.

I can’t even begin to dive into why this story is unbelievably incredible. It’s mind-blowing, thought-driving, life-changing, and so many other words I just can’t think of at the time of writing this review. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a story that leaves you reeling, making you stop and really think about life, time, and your view of the relationship between the two.

Recommendation: I absolutely encourage anyone even remotely interested in the story to read it. Outside of people who just aren’t into fantasy reads [and, honestly, even some of those people, on a case-by-case basis, I would still recommend it] and underage readers, I honestly can’t think of [adult] readers who wouldn’t enjoy reading it. It’s a beautifully written story that gives you a unique perspective to the relationship between life and time.

Now, only the non-spoiler-y, more detailed thoughts!

**WHILE I DON’T HAVE A LOT OF SPOILER-Y THOUGHTS THIS TIME, THESE THOUGHTS DEFINITELY HAVE SPOILERS IN THEM THAT I FEEL WOULD DETRACT FROM THE STORY IF READ BEFORE THE BOOK, SO STOP NOW AND GO READ IT AND COME BACK, IF YOU WISH!**

While I relate incredibly to Addie, I have to acknowledge the brilliance and incredible character creation and development that is Henry. How and why he’s able to remember Addie is incredible storytelling, and Henry’s backstory is heartbreaking and, to some of us, relatable.

Addie, the girl destined to always be forgotten, is quite possibly the most unforgettable character I’ve ever “met”. She’s so full of life but also wisdom while still retaining her relatability to those of us readers restricted to one lifetime rather than an eternity of them. Once met, others feel a gravity to Addie that we watch Henry experience through his own curse, though purely from her and not from anything “gifted” to her by Luc.

Luc is also incredibly “designed”, if you can call it that. While “he” fits into the typical villain mold we often see, in terms of physical description, V. E. Schwab still manages to make him unique. Addie’s learned ability to read his moods based off of his eye color, his human-but-not-human characteristics and tendencies, as well as the “dance” he and Addie play through the years and lifetimes Addie lives all contribute to this feeling that there’s no one quite like Luc, even if you think he fits a typical mold of a villain in some aspects.

I love the back-and-forth movement through the timeline of Addie’s life. You learn so much about Addie and why she is the way she is by the time she meets Henry, but you also learn more and more about Addie’s relationship and feelings toward Luc. Bouncing around in a timeline like that can break a story if done incorrectly, but the jumps never felt forced, jarring, or detracting from the story. In fact, they leave you wanting more and more of Addie’s story, for the book to never end, and just continue the story that is Addie’s existence.

Addie’s story hits like a drawn-out masterpiece, while still leaving you feeling like you don’t get to read and experience enough. You’re left wanting more Addie, wanting to see Addie best Luc on this last challenge she issues herself when she decides to save Henry.

I think it’s also interesting how Addie’s view of her feelings for Henry are left sort of ambiguous because she’s no longer sure she can identify – or maybe even really feel – love, and so she’s not ever truly sure she loves Henry, but it’s close enough, that her feelings are enough, for her to try to save him, to take a gamble with Luc.

Addie is a special, new sort of morally gray character. She isn’t, at her core, a morally gray person, but the nature of her curse has led her to become one. Because being easily forgotten, as you discover throughout the book, doesn’t lead to the most honest exchanges with people. You see this in the timeline flashbacks and you begin to understand the gradual graying of Addie’s morals. That, if she had a chance, she’d likely return to being less gray in her morals if there was a way for her to do so. It would take time, sure, but isn’t that what Addie has in spades? The way Addie is written, I think even people who aren’t into morally gray characters will find themselves loving Addie, and possibly left shocked at the label that Addie does, in face, become a morally gray character. It’s such a gradual transition, it reads less jarring and almost expected.

Overall, Addie’s story is one I will recommend and reread, time and time again. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue left me feeling motivated to take charge of my life, to try to accomplish what I wished to so that I wasn’t left quite so much with the gripping fear that I was running out of time. Addie left me encouraged to take active steps to my goals rather than to surrender to likely never reaching them. That’s always something you should return to, from time to time, to renew that motivation.

I’m not sure which review I will finish after this first, but I can’t wait to see you in the next review! As always, feel free to leave comments below, either on the book, the review, or critiques on how to give you readers reviews you’d enjoy reading! Until next time, stay safe, read on, and be kind to one another!