The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab on October 6, 2020
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Historical, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy
Pages: 480
Format: Hardcover
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“Three words, large enough to tip the world. I remember you.”
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.
This is my first V.E. Schwab novel that I have read. I should say that this is not a novel of thrilling conflicts so much as it is a story of poignant and unforgettable encounters. The novel breezes by at a leisurely pace as the story slowly takes shape before its reader like smoke poured into an invisible mold. This could potentially be frustrating for readers who prefer propulsive plot-lines and clear-cut resolutions as the novel offers neither, but I honestly loved it precisely for that. It’s a dangerous thing to be alone after all, but as the reader soon realizes, it’s even more dangerous to want. There is so much fear at the center of this novel. I was invested, even though it did take me longer than normal to finish this novel.
I wanted to give this novel 5 stars. The ONLY thing that kept me from going there was one character. I was not able to connect with him, making me just slightly drop the rating. Other than that, V.E. Schwab is a stunning storyteller. I was not expecting her to write something so beautiful, so alluring, so comforting. I really like her writing and I hope she continues this style of storytelling.