Don’t make a deal with the devil kids, he’s just going to screw you over in the end.
I waited entirely too long to read this book. I eagerly flagged this as something I wanted to read leading up to its release, but alas, I am a chronic procrastinator and have a lot of books still waiting around on my bookshelf. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was all over the internet; a book about a girl who makes a deal with the devil (or something like it) in exchange for more time, and freedom to live a life of her own. But, deals with the devil are never as they seem. As soon as I read the blurb I was hooked, yet I find myself a little let down in the end.
I was convinced I would be head over heels in love with this story, but our relationship turned out to be a complicated one. It is 1714 and Addie LaRue is 23 when she flees deep into the forest on the night of her wedding, praying to any god or spirit who will listen, begging for escape from the fate laid out before her; an arranged marriage, living and dying in the town she knows like the back of her hand, the monotony of domesticity. Addie will give anything asked of her for more time, and in exchange for immortality she is cursed to be forgotten, removed from memory as soon as she is out of sight.
The concept of this story was the best part to me. It’s a heartbreaking curse, meeting people, never being able to form an attachment, ceasing to exist the moment someone turns away or walks out of the room. Schwab sets up a pensive, whimsical tale only to flounder on the execution, and fails to follow through on the promises of her grand idea. She did a beautiful job conveying Addie’s pain as she learns the bounds of her curse over three hundred years and desperately searches for the will to go on, if only to spite the spirit who longs to take her soul. It’s the beginning of Addie’s life in France where I found the most enjoyment in her story, getting to know the characters surrounding her too. Schwab shows us a young woman at odds with the way she has been taught to understand the world, full of promise and visions of adventure pushing back against the standards of her time.
As Addie floats from place to place like a phantom I would have liked to see her play a larger role than simply traipsing around different towns living day to day. She sees her fair share, although we only get glimpses, of major historical events; it would have felt less like a waste if she somehow ended up playing a more important part in the shaping of history or something of that nature. I can see how living would get monotonous for Addie after a while, and with no end in sight there’s no urgency, which leads to a lack of action in the present day moments of the story unfortunately. I appreciated the small details she noticed, little things someone rushing through the day never would, and it served as a subtle reminder to slow down once in a while. It’s cliché, I know, but a nice touch. Despite her lack of an impression on any people she still held her memories with those she grew to care for over the years close to her heart.
The writing style didn’t bother me as much as I know it bothered a mass of other readers. I tend to like novels with a more prosaic approach to storytelling; give me the lofty, whimsical view of things. Let me talk about the romance now, or lack thereof when it comes to our dear Henry. I was not convinced by Addie and Henry’s attachment at all, mostly due to the nature of how their attachment was able to happen in the first place. If I say anything else I’ll be teetering on the edge of spoilers, so I’ll leave it there. If anyone found themselves alone along long enough they would cling to any crumb they could find. Henry as a character was rather dull and his story was downright depressing. I’m all for highlighting mental struggles, but if you pick up this book (or already have) you’ll see what I mean. It was almost morbid in a way.
When I started writing this review I wanted to keep it organized and halfway through I realized I’m going to be and have been rambling on. Like I said, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this story. I wanted to love it, yet can’t overlook the flaws. In the second half it begins to feel drawn out, which I mostly attribute to the lack of believable chemistry between Addie and Henry. Then there is the devil she affectionately calls Luc, who has shaped himself into the image of a man Addie dreamt up. I’m not sure what to think of their twisted relationship; him being the only one who can remember Addie and also tormenting her to give in to his bargain for her soul. Is it some kind of tortured love? Something else? I don’t know. They flirt and they fight. I kind of like them though.
If you like whimsical stories about history and strong women, then I think you can overlook the flaws and enjoy the main thread of this story. I’ve heard phenomenal things about Schwab’s other work and look forward to taking a dip into those worlds soon. Overall, I’d say about a 4/5 for this one.
The Rummy Writer 