The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by V.E. Schwab
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.*
Review by Mikayla Wood - STEM Librarian for Engineering
In a moment of desperation, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil to avoid being forced into an unwanted marriage. Addie soon realizes that this bargain means that no one will ever remember her again–including her own parents. In addition to no one remembering her, Addie does not age and will seemingly live forever, and she cannot tell anyone her real name. Addie will spend eternity living in a world where no one remembers her and no one can truly know her. However, when the kind man at the bookstore named Henry remembers Addie’s name, everything changes.
I recently read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and loved the magical realism elements found in the book. Magical realism is described as a genre that incorporates aspects of real life with bits and pieces of magical or fantastical elements. I wanted to find a book with more magical realism, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was perfect. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue fits the magical realism genre because the book is set in locations like France, New Orleans, and New York City, but Addie is cursed by magic, never ages, and regularly visits with and speaks to the devil.
A unique aspect of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is V.E. Schwab’s addition of artwork and their descriptions before sections of the book. I listened to the book on audio, so I did not see the artwork as I was reading the book. However, the descriptions of the artwork allowed me to better understand the book and Addie’s life. The writing in this book is enchanting. The combination of artwork and beautiful writing made me feel like I was really walking through life with Addie. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue really made me think about the passage of time and my own identity. Reading about Addie’s experiences made me very grateful for all of the meaningful relationships I have with family, friends, and colleagues. I am very excited to read more of V.E. Schwab’s work and more magical realism in general!
You can find this book in the Pendergrass Library Leisure Reading Collection. Check it out and let us know what you think of the book! Make sure to tag your responses on social media with #utksharedshelf so we can see what you think!
* Book Description and image provided by Goodreads
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