I've wanted to read a book by V. E. Schwab for quite a while, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was a good first choice.
Addie is over 300 years old. At least for part of the story. It starts out when she is young and makes a deal with the devil. Of course, she doesn't understand the consequences. She will live forever (or until she chooses to let the devil take her soul) and never age. But, throughout her entire life, she will never be remembered by anyone. As soon as she walks out of sight, they will not remember her. Pretty difficult to build relationships. Or get and keep a job.
Her life begins in the French countryside in the early 1700s, so after about 300 years, you can just take a moment and think about everything she's lived through. Wars, economic upheaval, changes in technology, slavery, environmental changes...
And then, all of a sudden, she meets a man in a bookstore, and he remembers her. How? Why? Well, those are questions that the second half of the book answers.
Schwab is a good writer, and I found the narrative interesting, if a bit lengthy. It takes a long time for Addie to meet Henry (when things get really interesting IMO.) The audio version of a story always makes me more patient, so that certainly helped.
Julia Whelan narrates the audiobook, and she is a favorite of mine (and of a lot of people). So if you are new to audiobooks, seek her out.
Even with the slow pace, I would still recommend The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It's an interesting story and leaves you thinking about life. And what is important. And relationships.
Published by Tor, 2020.
Audiobook purchased from libro.fm
448 pages
Rating: 4/5
I could not survive if no one remembered me and I don't think I knew that until I read this review. And living forever? No thank you! This sounds really interesting.
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