Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

In 1714 France, girls are expected to marry. Most girls have accepted their fate. But Addie LaRue is a dreamer, and she wants to see the world. On the eve of her wedding, she makes a deal with the devil.

And he grants it.

It was Peter Pan that inspired V. E. Schwab to write The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. But the problem isn't that Addie forgets herself; it's that everyone else does. This unique adult, magical-realism novel is very beloved for a reason. After seeing it recommended so many times, I caved and was immediately hooked.

Spoiler-free review:

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I love the poetic writing, its exploration of art, and its impactful representation of life and what it means to be human. It's an incredible journey of heartbreak, friendship, loneliness, and love. With different time periods, fascinating characters, and beautiful prose, there is so much to love about this book. But I must to warn you; it is no light read. From the first chapter, it grips you with both hands, and doesn't let go until you've turned the last tear-soaked page.

If its message had aligned better with my own beliefs, this might have been my favorite book of all time. But that was not the case. The main issue I had with it was its representation of immortality - or perhaps more the fact that it appeared to glorify immortality a little. If you're considering reading this book, don't let that deter you; this comes down to personal taste and beliefs. And even if you agree with me, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has enough to offer to make it an amazing reading experience nonetheless.

Spoiler review:

- The message

If I think about the overall message this story sends its reader, it's actually rather disappointing. Addie's character development, or lackthereof, shines through in the moment Henry asks her whether she would make the deal again, and she says yes without hesitation. That in itself wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing; it's her explanation for the "yes" that bothers me. She says something along the lines of, "it's been a hard life, but also a wonderful one," referring to all the beautiful stuff she's seen. I know it's Addie's opportunity to say that the good moments in life outweigh the bad ones, but that shouldn't be the focus of someone in her position. Her answer shows that she's learned nothing after all the tremendous suffering she's been through since the curse. From my point of view, there's two reasons for why the answer to that question doesn't make sense - for why she didn't need the deal in hindsight.

Reason 1: The deal showed her she didn't need a God to set her free. The deal was the reason she left Villon and saw the world. That's how she saw that the beauty of life is that freedom is already there, right on your doorstep. You can be and see anything you want. What I mean is that Addie could've had her wish if only she'd just kissed her parents goodbye and went out on adventures on her own. By the time Henry asks her that "would you make the deal again" question, Addie should be aware of this, because she's done it. She was more or less forced to do so, of course, but she's been venturing out into the world as a woman, alone, for three hundred years, and survived. In hindsight, she didn't need a deal at all. The world was already at her feet.

I know back when she made the deal, the 1700s, the situation was different in terms of traveling alone as a woman, but clearly, if there's a will, there's a way. On her way, she could've made friends, found traveling companions or something. Problem solved.

Reason 2: Having eternity to see everything you want doesn't make up for tremendous loneliness. To me, the argument "it was a hard life, but a wonderful one" simply doesn't hold up psychologically if you think about what Addie had to give up for it. It's the way she confesses to happily trading family, love, friendships, the ability to build a life, just for... more time. I wouldn't even give up one of those things for an eternity.

Eternity sounds like torture if I have to go through it alone. No, I'd rather die alongside my loved ones than having to watch them die off one by one. So really, psychologically, I don't think it makes sense. I know Addie has Luc, but she goes decades without talking to him. Being cursed to be forgotten by a friend as soon she excuses herself to go to the bathroom prevents her from having meaningful relationships. Therefore, Addie goes through life mostly alone. That's incredibly, heart-breakingly lonely. Isn't happiness only real when shared? What do all those beautiful things in the world really mean if witnessing them is a solitary act?

What does a complete lack of meaningful relationships do to a person? Having nobody to confide in, nobody who really knows you, nobody who loves you? Loneliness is one of the most devastating experiences a human being can have. We are social creatures, and we long to be seen and heard. I think, if we were talking about a real-life situation instead of a fictional one, someone in Addie's position wouldn't have been able to stay sane, or would have at the very least dealt with some very serious mental health issues. And it's not that Addie doesn't experience her share of frustration, anger and grief, just not to the extent that she logically should have.

And what was all the focus on sadness and tragedy in the first half of the book for if Addie says she'd go through it again just to see things? That confession robs those desolate chapters in the first half of the book of their power. They mean less if you think about the fact that Addie would happily go through the events of them again just to remain immortal.

If she'd said, "I would make the deal again because I'd know one day I'd meet you" it would've been different. It would also have been corny, but at least it would've made more sense to me. Because if you ask me, when Arwen says she'd rather spend a lifetime with Aragorn than an eternity on her own, it is way more admirable than this greedy obsession with time (I do think, however, that Schwab opted for, well, not that, because it would be predictable and unoriginal. But I'd rather read about something unoriginal that has some moral value than something that is unpredictable but morally stupid.)

Isn't that what Addie should've learned, even if it took centuries? That life was already filled with opportunities and beautiful things, and that there's beauty to transience? That it's more important to build meaningful relationships, and share that precious time together instead of just seeing different cities? That it's more important to leave a mark on somebody else's life - a positive mark - than to leave a mark in history?

Because of this messaging, what I can take away from this story is that life's too short and that sucks so it's really better to sell your soul to be immortal. Oh, and also that going through life alone isn't so bad.

To me, it just comes across as "written by author who hasn't made peace with her own mortality". And that's not meant as a mean jab, I don't think I have made peace with it either, but I'm also not going to write a book that more or less glorifies immortality. And don't be fooled, because this is exactly what happens in this book, as Addie loves the immortality part, just hates the forgetting part.

- Socio-historical commentary

I feel like a story with so much emphasis on living through history and experiencing many different thing might've offered more commentary on things such as war. Now that I think about it, Addie should've noticed art movements changing through time because of the different contexts. Maybe that's too obvious a critique coming from an English major, and is not as significant to others. But take modernism, for example, after the Great War. Incredibly fascinating how mass destruction and death influenced mindset, morals and values, and therefore art. But the Great War is brushed over because Addie simply flees from it. This is also a difficult critique to give, though, because I feel like this book was already very long, and it wouldn't have made much sense to make it much longer - it's just that I would've preferred the author prioritizing different moments in history, I guess. Less of dreary Paris, more of matters such as world wars, or trans-atlantic slavery, because, as someone else reviewing this book has mentioned, the story is very eurocentric - and that is a very valid criticism. And even if writing about the world wars, by now, is repeating what many have already said, this book could've alternatively been a great opportunity to highlight important historical events that are normally brushed over. This book with so much potential for socio-historical commentary had a surprising lack of it.

- Historical artists

Beethoven and Shakespeare were reduced to desperate men who had to sell their souls for their pieces of art to materialize. Despite me loving the part art plays in this book, this is one part I didn't like. I'm aware Schwab very much has the freedom to write something like this, I just don't think it's nice to the memory of these people, and I don't think it does justice to the way art comes to life. People don't need to make deals with the devils for inspiration, inspiration is out there in the world for the taking.

Now for the good parts that make up for the above to the extent that I'm still willing to give this 4.5 stars.

+-The message

Here, the downside is kind of an upside, because I feel like the book contradicts itself. Addie says that, knowing everything, she'd make the deal again, but the tone of the book says something else. In the first half of the book, Addie's life is largely sad and horrible, specked with some moments of happiness. In terms of tone, it's very tragic. But the other half, when Addie has met someone (Henry) she can build a genuine relationship with, the tone of the book becomes much more hopeful and happier. Therein already lies the moral of the story. Happiness has nothing to do with time, everything with human interaction.

+ Beautiful writing

I've tried to mark the beautiful words and sentences used in this book, but there were simply too many. V. E. Schwab has a gorgeous writing voice, one that's easy to read, easy to understand and easy to love.

+ Lovable, interesting characters

Schwab introduces the reader to a variety of characters. There wasn't one I found annoying (except Luc, but I think that was intentional). Their personalities do come to life. Henry is very original as a male love interest, and it was a breath of fresh air. It's rare that you see a fictional man depicted honestly in his sensitivity instead of a toxic alpha male type person. Kudos to Schwab for the Henry character.

+ Art

The idea that art is a way of leaving your mark in the world, that inspiration is untouchable. That there are many forms of art, giving a different type of message despite the same subject material. That human interaction, even the shadow of a person can be enough inspiration for art.

+ History

I enjoyed seeing the passage of time written about. I liked that some historical events were mentioned, and I liked seeing the life of someone in the 1700s unfold on the page. I love historical fiction, so this is an easy one.

+The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Even though I did see it coming, I loved to see Addie's story finally seeing the light in the shape of a novel. It makes for somewhat of a satisfying end to the story, despite me finding the character development of Addie unsatisfying. I can find solace in the idea that Addie will be remembered, her story told.

Conclusion

All things considered, I think the idea and, largely, the execution of this book are phenomenal. I found the writing beautiful, the story gripping, the themes relevant. It's just sad that it didn't morally resonate with me as it could have.

Final rating: 4 stars

Goodreads average rating: 4.05 stars