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

“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?” ― V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

If you are an avid follower of the book community on YouTube, there is a high chance that you've heard about the novel The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab. I originally picked up this book in December last year, but eventually DNF it because I suddenly found myself in the middle of a group project and simply could not set aside time for reading. After that, I got carried away with all the public holidays, and I just forgot about it (oopsie). It was not until I checked my DNF list a few weeks ago that I finally remembered I didn’t finish this book in the first place. So what better time than now?

This novel primarily focuses on Addie Larue - a French girl who made a deal with the devil and then ended up getting stuck with a heinous curse - Everyone she meets will eventually forget her. Overall, with exquisite descriptions and poetic imagery, the writing is gorgeous. After all, this is a Schwab book, so I wasn’t outrageously shocked by the beautiful writing. What instantly caught my attention is that this book seems a little bit more genuine and personal than her other novels. It’s almost as if Schwab were truly pouring her heart and soul into this piece of fiction. With that being said, as I finished the last line of The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, I felt… empty. As much as I enjoy the writing and the storyline, there is something about the characters that doesn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t see myself rooting for Henry, which is so bizarre because he is the exact formula of my usual favourite characters (A shy bookstore keeper? That’s basically “my type”). Although Henry has a fascinating backstory, his character is, unfortunately, quite bland. Despite going through traumatic events, he doesn’t necessarily demonstrate, dare I say, noticeable shifts in his mentality. However, my judgment of Henry may be relatively unfair as I put him in comparison with Addie - a literal 300-year-old woman who obviously had way more time to grow and mature than him. Another character I want to talk about is Luc - the devil Addie made a deal with. Although he is one of the main characters (I suppose?), Luc is quite one-dimensional, to be honest. He only showed up sporadically either to torment Addie or gaslight her, and that’s it. I felt so bad for not liking this character because I know that creating god/ goddess characters is absolutely no mean feat. And deep down I really want to like this character as he seemed to be so fascinating in the first few chapters, but his appeal somehow faltered as the plot unfolded.

Besides the minor complaints regarding the characters, I have to admit that the concept of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is highly original and thought-provoking. It makes me ponder upon the values of our legacy. After all, are we defined by the traces we left on this world?