Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Overview:
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
This book is everywhere right now and for very good reason. It is a stunning work of art that masterfully dives into the worlds of two people across time and geographical distance. Schwab does a fantastic job in her careful development and structure of the story. It’s the first read in a really long time that I had a strong emotional reaction to and I have very little complaints.
Content Warning:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue contains references to suicide, toxic relationships, mental illness, sexual assault, war, violence, death of a loved one, and abuse.
Book Description:
Romance meets fantasy meets historical fiction in V.E. Schwab’s latest release, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Addie is a young girl living in the small French village of Villon-sur-Sarthe. Life is fleeting and she doesn’t want to waste what precious time she has. In order to escape her impending marriage to one of the town’s widowers, Addie makes a deal with one of the old gods of the woods to secure a life with greater freedom. But there’s a catch: Addie soon discovers that, while she may live forever, no one will remember her. For the next 300 years, across time and continents, Addie explores the boundaries of her curse, searching for ways to leave her impression on the world. Then, one day in a small bookshop in New York, someone remembers her. The only question is, is it a mistake on the part of the old gods or a cruel trick made to finally convince her to surrender her soul?
On the Structure of the Book:
This nonlinear book takes place across 300 years, several different continents, and two separate people’s perspectives. It should be a nightmare to keep all the details straight, but it’s not. Not once was I confused by the time jumps or abrupt changes of scenery. Every transition is purposeful and builds towards the story’s stunning conclusion. It also helps that the book is broken into 5 sections, each contributing an overarching theme or piece of the plot. Individual chapters are further labeled with the time and location they take place in.
On the Predictability of the Story:
To call this story predictable is not necessarily right, it’s just the closest description I could come up with. Predictability usually translates to boring, lackluster, etc. — all things that Addie LaRue is not. Rather, this is a story in which the author tastefully leaves behind a trail of breadcrumbs to be followed and eaten up. You come to suspect two of the biggest plot twists before they happen, not because Schwab is overly obvious, but so that you experience the same creeping dread and then devastating confirmation as the characters. Still, even knowing what happens before the other shoe falls does not prepare you for the emotional impact of this story. Schwab does such a brilliant job building the reader’s connection to the characters and high stakes that you can’t help but care.
On the Scenes with Luc:
My only critique, and it is indeed a small one, is that I didn’t care for some of the scenes between Addie and Luc. While most of the flashbacks between her and the woods god depicted development in their relationship, a few felt a bit repetitive. There was a total of two times when I thought “haven’t I already read this,” but those chapters were brief and small in comparison to the remainder of the text.