Ever heard that saying curiosity killed the cat? Well, this cat still has nine lives, friends! So, thank you to the booktok community, and sorry for ever having doubted you because The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab is absolutely worth the read. I’ve got to say that it wasn’t smooth sailing, but I made it and I loved it.
Synopsis
Adeline LaRue was born in a small French village in the 16th century. After making a deal with the devil she is granted immortality under crushing conditions: everyone she meets, will forget her. After 300 tumultuous years, Addie finds herself browsing a bookstore in New York where she meets Henry. When Addie returns to the bookstore the next day, she is shocked to find that Henry remembers her…
And yes. I will say no more
Thoughts
It took only a few pages for this book to become my temporary obsession. Already, I was hooked by the blurb, but wow, Shwabb’s writing style was just stunning. I loved how she structured the novel loosely around paintings, sculptures and song lyrics that just reminded us how multi-faceted and interconnected life and her elements are. And it also seems to be art that has the driving force of everything we do. It’s art that transcends all the boundaries of time and remembrance. I loved this book for that unique immersion, and it’s not something I’ve come across before.
Downsides
While the story was gripping and the writing polished, eloquent and poetic and yet accessible, the story did begin to lose it’s hold on me as we approached the last 100 or so pages. It felt like it was taking forever to get to the point or that (even worse, unfortunately) it was trying to find a point. I do believe that as readers we shouldn’t be finding the point with the author. I’m not a fan of reading something that feels too obvious that loose strings are trying to be tied. This made it long-winded and ultimately a bit boring for a brief-ish period. Thankfully it saved itself with a tear-jerking ending.
As always, I love to outline key emotions/thoughts or aspects of the novel that left it’s mark on me. So here are 3 things that I took from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
1. Small moments of joy are enough to overlook the long periods of suffering.
In Miyakazi’s Princess Mononoke (click if you dig the Ghibli reference), there was a room of lepers and one of them said, “People look at us and wonder how we live. Life is suffering. Life is hard. But it’s about finding something to live for.”
As morbid as that sounds, it is actually a beautiful incite. It’s choosing everyday to focus on something beautiful, something worth living for. For Addie, it was art, dancing with champagne in a park, books, music, all the things that make humanity beautiful. All the things that make you forget, even for a brief moment, the pain. Which brings us to the next point.
2. Everything is temporary.
For some people this is a scary thought. For others it’s liberating. But no matter what, it is true. Luc in the novel says, “Even rocks will eventually be worn down.”
Pain is temporary. Happiness is temporary. Nature is temporary. Things grow and things wither and the cycle starts again. As a person who shudders at the idea of impermanence, I am trying to have a mindset of being at peace with ever-changing feelings, states of life and the idea that nothing today is the same as yesterday. And nothing tomorrow will be the same as today. Having this mindset helps me forgive myself more, forgive others more and just embrace that everything is temporary. Happiness is fleeting so live in the moment, pain isn’t forever so don’t curse at life. This is hard and I am nowhere near mastering it but I believe this is an important philosophy.
3. The loudest in the room does mean the most impactful.
In fact, the most enduring impacts are the ones that were quiet and built over time. I think in this day and age with social media we fall into the trap of thinking that the louder and more responsive our impact the more they count as something. That’s not at all true. It’s more like mustard seed planted in a wasteland. It’s small and quiet and grows beneath the soil. And then without you even thinking too much about it you wake up one morning and there are birds fluttering around this massive tree. And the wasteland is bursting with life. It took Addie 300 years of just being, of just loving, of just inspiring…
All in all
If you love art, if love free-spirited natures, if you love fantasy or if you’re just looking for a gripping love story then I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much for reading my blog!
Discussion questions:
1. How did you feel at the end of the novel. Were you moved? Frustrated? Satisfied?
2. Do you think Luc is an all-evil character?
3. What message did you take from the novel?
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