The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Everyone has had that book that has wrecked them so irreparably that for a while they don’t know what to do with themselves. After finishing this book, I felt as if someone had physically taken my heart out of my chest and stomped on it, shattering it in thousands of tiny pieces that don’t fit together anymore.
This is probably my favourite book of all time. As you may know, I’ve read quite a lot of books, so this is not in any way an easy task. It made me feel so many emotions so deeply, I never wanted to put it down because it was perfect.
V.E Schwab is my favourite author now. Her writing in this novel was so poetic and beautiful. While I know some people did not appreciate her use of repetitions, I actually liked it. I felt that it tied the story in a perfect knot. The descriptions of the cities Addie visited were spectacular, it was almost as if I could step into that world and forget about my own dilemmas.
Her characters were incredibly well-written, especially Addie LaRue and Henry. I loved the way the author motivated their actions by their greatest fears and their biggest insecurities. I found the characters to be extremely realistic and more than relatable. Just reading about them made you feel a little less lonely and somewhat less insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe.
Addie LaRue is a strong character that is anything but forgettable. She is charismatic and amusing, her love for humanity was blinding. Her determination to make the darkness regret ever cursing her was immeasurable. Her witty banter with Luc was captivating. I loved the constant back and forth between the past and the present. The stories of Addie’s life in the past were mesmerizing and gut-wrenching at times.
Her need to be known, to be remembered after three hundred years of new beginnings and being forgotten, was understandable. Her love for books and culture was heart-warming, she had a heart of gold that would never stop beating and yearning for love.
Henry was the most lovable character. From the first “I remember you” to the last one, you fall in love with him as Addie does. He is this emotionally man who wants more time with his family and friends. He falls rapidly in love with Addie and he accepts her the way she is. His need to be enough, as he phrases it, something any reader, any person can relate to. His love for the people in his life is larger than most people have. I loved his complete adoration of Addie’s stories.
Addie and Henry’s relationship was natural and flowed with such ease that it was fun to watch them fall into step. Their love for one another was enough to make them both finally feel at home. It was worth all the pain and the troubles each of them went through. The lengths to which they went in order to keep each other safe and happy were amazing. They were probably the healthiest relationship that I’ve ever seen in a fantasy novel.
Luc was a pain to read about, while he was charismatic and ultimately a compelling character, I didn’t want him to intervene in Addie’s happiness. I thought that he had a shroud of mercy for her and that’s why Henry remembered her. He didn’t, he was cruel and calculating. I can admire his patience, but I don’t think he is capable of love or complex emotions. He is just a darkness that wraps around the light Addie’s heart gives off.
I found the fling between Luc and Addie interesting, especially as it was compared to Henry. Luc and Addie only seemed to work because Addie was lonely enough to fall into his prey. His seduction of her only to get her soul while sleeping in the same bed was treasonous. Of course Addie got out of it and hoped to never see him again in order to forget his calculating nature.
When Luc intervened in Addie’s relationship with Henry, I hated him. I despised the fact that he wanted to take away the person who made her happier than he ever could. Luc was a Machiavellian antagonist that I loved to hate. His possessive nature was beyond frustrating.
When I think of the fact that Addie and Henry had such little time together, my heart shatters once again, my eyes tear up and I can’t exactly think straight. I wished they could have had so many more moments together, so much more love together. I wished it had all ended with an “I remember you” said at both Henry and Addie’s deathbed.
While the poetic nature of the plot and novel made the ending quite fantastical and heart-breaking. I probably will not be able to recover from Henry publishing a book about Addie with the dedication that just said “I remember you”. It was a testament to his love of her and his dedication to make sure she left a mark on the world, even if it was only possible through his writing.
That last kiss before Addie jumped into the darkness and left Henry was more than heart-breaking, it was earth shattering. It felt as if the foundation of my soul had been shaken and broken. Even now, when I think about this book, I feel as if I’m falling. I saw someone talk about this feeling as “Post Book Depression”.
This is the best book I’ve ever read and I would give anything in order to read it again for the first time, to fall in love with these characters once again, to travel around the world and through time once more. I will be recommending this book to anyone I meet, I loved this book with my whole soul, even though it shattered me into thousands of pieces of glass.
I will most likely be rereading this book for years to come. I’m not the same person I was before reading this book, at least that’s how I feel. V.E. Schwab has wrecked me and I am thankful. I will clearly be reading all of her other books. Please read this book.