My primary fictional reading genre is science fiction. Every so often, I like to step outside my comfort zone and read something a little different, especially when a book comes highly recommended.
It’s how I happened upon The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. Both Amanda and Courtney read and spoke highly of it, so I figured it would be a welcome diversion from my usual reading routine.
The basic premise of the book revolves around a young girl who lives in rural France during the late 1600s and early 1700s. Looking to escape an arranged marriage, she makes a deal with a dark spirit, presumably the devil, that permits her to flee.
So what’s the catch? After making the deal, no one is able to remember her after she leaves their presence, including her family. Hence, she is not able to maintain a relationship with anyone. To further complicate matters, she does not age and is effectively immortal. It means that she basically lives her life in isolation from the world around her.
Addie figures out how to navigate the world in isolation, until she meets a man who can remember her. It shatters the bubble of life she’s built around herself and forces her to decide whether she desires to continue living a life in which she effectively does not exist.
On its surface, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a book about what one could do with unlimited time at their disposal. On a deeper level, the book is about the choices we make and what we would give up to have what we want, or, to put it better, what we think we want.
For being outside of my primary reading space, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The book is very well written. Whether the scenes were set in 1700s France or modern day New York City, Schwab’s writing style immerses you in the story and the environment to make you feel as though your are a part of it, experiencing it first hand. The story is charming and kept me interested with unexpected plot twists and turns that kept me wondering where Schwab would take me next.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a Must Read. It’s a well written, wonderfully constructed story that will both entertain and make you consider what you would be willing to give up if you could have everything you wanted, or should I say everything that you think you wanted.