The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
By V. E. Schwab
How immortal could you be before it turned from evading death into your own personal hell? Beyond the usual “everyone dies before you and civilization crumbles at your feet”, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue introduces a slight wrinkle, cursing the main heroine with the inability to leave a trace, either in people’s minds, or in the dust on the ground.
I like immortality stories. They are similar to time travel in the sense that time travels around the subject. V. E. Schwab’s creation of Addie’s curse is a compelling enough reason to set this novel apart from others like it. Addie doesn’t accrue wealth and influence the world around her, she can’t hold onto it, time moves without her while she moves with it. It creates a slight dilemma in storytelling, one that my book club friend was weighed down by. If she can’t do anything, then she doesn’t do anything. The book becomes a sort of character study, but since her character has little to change her, the study turns to that of her curse. Of course she changes a great deal, it’s just mostly told through flashbacks that feel firmly set in the past. Her flashbacks have an intentional repetition to them; as her interactions with people reset from their lack of memory, so do the cycles of her life, usually due to the antagonist’s meddling. It is occasionally tiring to read her make very similar mistakes to those she’s already made, but for someone unstuck from the world around her, it makes sense that her story would wind like her life.
The modern day Addie driving the actual plot of the novel is much more mature, while also eternally twenty three. She is the most interesting version of herself, having tricks at her disposal for getting around other people’s forgetfulness, and sticking in culture by influencing artists as a sort of muse. Just as her updated antics become uninteresting, or repetitive like her flashback self, Schwab introduces Henry, the one person to ever recognize her post-curse. Their stories entangle and play out in a satisfying blend, though his own flashback section gets similarly repetitive near the end. If you get far enough in the book to meet Henry, you’ve read enough to be spoiled by more description. I’ll just say that the actual ending was a little more satisfying than I would have liked. Schwab’s concept’s were always the strongest part of the novel. Maybe that’s why the plot sometimes takes a hit, simplifying itself a little more than I would have liked. I also would have liked a little more of other gods, but that would have pushed the genre into full blown fantasy, and I don’t think that was ever Schwab’s intention.
Enough cannot be said for the audiobook’s narrator, Julia Whelan. Her accent and character work made every moment feel fresh, alive with new faces populating every scene. Her thoughtful approach shines through the different ages Addie experiences and the way her accent is ever so slightly changed every time you meet her. It shouldn’t be overlooked that there are some visual examples of a larger idea that you miss seeing in the audiobook. They are described well and if you really feel the need, you can easily grab a copy at a library or bookstore to thumb through when you’re finished.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is for readers who already know they like Schwab’s writing, but don’t want to pick up one of her series, or read genre fiction. There’s enough fantastical elements to interest her other readers, while keeping one foot firmly planted in reality to entice someone looking for something closer to their everyday lives. However you approach the book, it’s a story you’ll find hard to forget.