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

 This book has had the book community buzzing since it came out, so I was excited when my turn finally came at the library. In this novel, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the old gods, and in return is cursed. No one can remember her, and she cannot tell them any truths about her life.  Over 300 years Addie finds ways to survive and continue living as something less than human but more than ghost.  And suddenly, she runs into someone she never expected - and he remembers her. 

The writing is phenomenal in this book. The perspective flips through the years of Addie’s life, drawing out key moments and bringing the past forward when it unlocks a new moment in the narrative. Addie is delightful and stubborn and so artistic in her soul, leaving crumbs of her self in various “lives” she’s lived.  When presented with her curse and confronted with pain over and over again, she digs in and finds a way forward, something to look forward to, a new thing she’d like to see with the endless time she is given.  I also quite enjoy Henry and his story, as well as the entirely unexpected truth behind his remembrance. The story has twists, but none so big as this character and what he brings in to Addie’s life. 

The biggest downside for me was that overall this is really similar to The Age of Adaline, the 2015 film starring Blake Lively. The plot is smudged, the details are different, and generally nothing explicitly links these two together that closely (aside from the name and immortality pieces). However, from previous reviews of the book I expected something entirely new and different, and seeing these similarities was a little disappointing. 

All the elements of the book do come together in fantastic ways though, and I can’t give this anything less than 4 stars. The writing is great, the story has never been done in book format, I love the characters, and elements like the darkness just give it an extra edge that keeps you hanging on to the last moment and leaves you wanting more. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a “book hangover” but I cannot stop thinking about Addie LaRue. 

Image credit to @readnmarked