‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue’ is Unforgettable

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” a book about a girl cursed to be forgotten, is a stunningly memorable work filled with love, loss, and wonder. The novel follows protagonist Addie LaRue, a young woman who, in order to escape her marriage in early eighteenth-century France, makes a Faustian bargain with a mysterious god. Addie is given immortality, but in return, everyone she ever meets is bound to forget her. Indeed, she lives through three centuries before hearing the fateful words “I remember you.” A tale about what it means to be remembered, this book delivers a powerful message about resilience and impact wrapped in captivating prose.

This is a novel made extraordinary by its characters. There are three central and beautifully intertwined characters: Addie, Luc (the god who cursed her), and Henry (the first person to remember Addie in 300 years). Addie is lovable for her strength and resistance through the confines of her curse. Though the option to end her curse by giving her soul to Luc is offered time and time again, Addie perseveres, and finds new ways to make a mark upon her world despite the limitations of her situation. Henry is equally as admirable. His internal conflict is presented beautifully and explores the intricacies of self-worth as influenced by the opinions of others. Lastly, Luc is a powerful and intriguing antagonist, who is written in such a way that he is empathetic one minute and insufferable the next. Out of these main three characters, two of the characters are explicitly LGBTQ+. This detail is handled in a positive and casual way; their queerness is not integral to the story, finally giving audiences a fantasy book where LGBTQ+ characters can just be as they are. In addition to this book's triumvirate, there are some prominent side characters that could have been a little better developed and dynamic, but the primary trio is so enticing that this shortcoming can be mostly forgiven.

The characters’ complex relationships and nuances are revealed through a nonlinear timeline, which juxtaposes the central plot with flashbacks of the early days of Addie’s immortality. Additionally, though the book focuses on Addie’s perspective and showing the growth of her character, some flashbacks that explore Henry’s backstory add to the roundness of his characterization. Jumping between time periods never feels confusing. With each section, Schwab perfects the balance between giving enough answers to satisfy and creating enough new questions to keep readers guessing — so much so that the pacing and arrangement of the story make the book impossible to put down.

Both the story’s rhythm and its imagery and word choice give it the enchanting cadence of a fairy tale. While this book is much more character-driven than plot-driven, this distinction works in favor of Schwab’s imaginative storytelling style. Though the fantastical elements of this novel make it whimsical and wonderful, the story stays grounded in its well-explored and relatable themes. As Addie experiments with how to make a mark on the world through art and music despite the limitations of her curse, the reader gets a subtle lesson in making the most of the time one is given. Especially in the face of the events of this past year, a book about finding the will to keep on living through moments of pain in order to find moments of triumph is a necessary read.

The most prominent message this book provides is best summed up by the titular character herself. As Addie realizes that the way for her to make an impact is through inspiring artists, she says, “ideas are wilder than memories.” If one could forget the captivating details of Addie’s story, the ideals it provides about art, existence, and memory are everlasting.