“It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing, to be forgotten. To remember when no one else does.”
When I was in elementary school, recess consisted of playing on the Big Toy, with some light kiddie conversation sprinkled in. Superheroes and superpowers were hot topics. The most frequently debated question—“If you could have one super power, what would it be?” I was fixated on the idea of flying—you could go anywhere you wanted on your own terms! (Maybe I’m Toni Morrison’s long-lost cousin, a girl can dream, right?) Most of my friends wanted the power of invisibility. How freeing to be present in an instant but nobody knows it. After reading V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I am firmly convinced that invisibility is less of a superpower and more of a curse.
Picture this: it’s 1714 in a small village in France. You’re 23, past your prime, single and disapproved by everyone in your small town (minus “crazy” Esther). When a recently widowed man wants you to be his wife, your parents practically throw you at him to marry you off. Your wedding date is set despite protests. Minutes before the wedding, you run off into the woods to pray to anyone who will listen. The only “thing” that appears is Darkness, who agrees to take away her fate in exchange for her soul. Such is the plight of Addie LaRue – what should she do?
Addie takes the deal. Shortly after, she discovers no one can remember her – not even her beloved Papa, who casts her out of their home when she tries to return. Calling back the Darkness, she begs to have it reversed. The dim creature declines, mentioning to her that she was the one that prayed to him for relief. Left with no other options, Addie embarks on a nomadic life attempting to find her purpose.
For 300 years, Addie steals, swoons, and stalks her way into hundreds of friends and admirer’s lives, desperate to have one person remember her. No one remembers her long enough to sustain a relationship. She is a forgotten soul—that is until 2014, when she meets Henry Strauss. Strauss remembers her stealing a book from his bookstore the previous day. Shocked beyond all reason, Addie throws herself at Henry. She’s desperate for answers, until she discovers Henry’s dark secret.
This book is a solid 4.75/dare I say on the doorstep of 5 stars? From the moment I picked it up, I was hooked. The first half of this gripping fiction details the backstory of Addie’s experiences with history and travels; the second half focuses on her current-day situation with Henry Strauss. Beginning to end, Schawb keeps readers entranced with what will become of poor Addie LaRue. Don’t wait to pick this book up. I repeat, don’t wait to pick this book up!
If you’re so inclined, drop what superpower you’re after below…just do it after you finish the story. (Who knows, your answer may change :)