REVIEW: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab’s latest novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, is one that I’ve been looking forward to reading for over a year and a half. I’ve been hooked on its premise ever since she first described it in a podcast last year, and while the wait for this novel has felt decades long at times, it is nothing compared to the journey undertaken by its heroine.

V. E. Schwab

Adeline LaRue, a young French woman living in 1714, is desperate to escape her confining fate as a wife and mother in a rural town. On the eve of her wedding, she makes a pact with the devil in a moment of desperation, trading her soul for immortality and the freedom it brings. If the idea of living forever so that you can see and do everything you’ve ever wanted appeals to you, be warned that immortality has a sting in its tail: Addie is cursed to be forgotten by every single person she meets, including her own family. Unable to secure herself a permanent home or even to keep her own possessions, Addie is forced to make her way to Paris and beyond, becoming the world’s most perfect grifter in order to survive.

In time, Addie comes to master the ins and outs of her curse and with it manages to find some small blessings. She discovers a second kind of existence in art, throwing herself into the orbit of the greatest painters, poets and musicians of human history and in doing so leaving traces of herself in their work. Her journey will take her from the streets of Paris in the throes of revolution to present-day New York City, where she meets and falls for a boy named Henry who will remember her and change everything.

Rich and gorgeous, V. E. Scwhab’s prose style is instantly recognisable and is the perfect vehicle to take the reader through this unusual story. Having tackled villainous monsters with extraordinary abilities and tales of magical intrigue set in a London multiverse, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue marks Schwab’s return to a quieter kind of fantasy built on emotion and atmosphere. The plot is slow, alternating between Addie’s past and present, and draws you deep into her world until you find yourself unable to look away. This meandering pace serves the story well, particularly as it picks up a darker thread of tension with the reappearance of Addie’s handsome devil, who begins to visit her each year on the anniversary of her curse. This tension, offset by love, lust and betrayal, builds up over the course of the novel and drives it to a breathtaking finish, one that you certainly won’t see coming.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is an intoxicating mix of magic and beauty, laced with enough danger and desire to keep the story balanced on a knife’s edge. Centred on a woman who has nothing but time, this novel will remind you of the beauty and breathtaking wonder to be found in life’s small moments.

—The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (Titan Books) is out now.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

by V. E. Schwab

When Addie LaRue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there's always a price and the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone.

Addie flees her tiny hometown in 18th Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day. Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil...

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Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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