The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Published: October 6th 2020 by Tor Books
Review:
Myth: 5/5
Addie has lived an invisible life for 300 years. After a hastily made deal with The Darkness to keep her from marriage in the 1700s, everyone who sees her forgets her as soon as she is out of sight. She is not able to leave any mark on the world, just exist in it on her own.
This is not what Addie wanted, as a young woman with no options, she simply wanted a way out of the marriage she was being forced into. She wanted freedom. She was so desperate for it that she prayed to the gods that answer in the darkness, and ultimately made a deal with the devil.
She takes the time to learn the shape of her curse. In her anniversary encounters with The Darkness, she remains stubbornly unbreakable. She will not bend to his will. This is my favorite part of her character. She wanted freedom, and though it’s not what she imagined, she refuses to give up on it, refuses to let The Darkness win.
We see The Darkness personified through his encounters with Addie. In some he shows her that he is very much not human. In others he shows very human emotions. Her complicated and entangled relationship with The Darkness is central to her story.
Magic: 5/5
You can imagine Addie’s confusion when in a bookstore in Brooklyn, she hears those three little words that change everything, “I remember you.” It’s a beautiful pairing, a girl with nothing but time and no one to share it with and a boy who doesn’t want to waste a moment.
A theme that I can’t get out of my head is the magic of an idea. Ideas are different from memories in Addie’s life and there is magic in an idea, in the way it uniquely takes shape in a person’s mind.
Overall: 5/5
This story was lyrical. I listened to the audiobook and really can’t imagine not having heard parts of the story.
