(Review) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
What are we, if not the marks we leave upon the world?
For those unfamiliar with the story, Addie wanted freedom above all else. After running away from her own wedding, she finds herself in the woods praying to the gods who answer after dark. One of them appears and initially refuses her request for more time. However, after some insistence, they strike a deal: Addie becomes immortal. But, as with every bargain, there is always a price to pay... no one remembers her... That is what “freedom” means through the eyes of the entity she made the pact with.
The story follows the beginning of Addie’s new life: her adventures, romances, heartbreaks, and every experience that shapes her into the woman she becomes. It is only halfway through the book that we meet Henry, the only person capable of remembering her besides Luc.
When it comes to the characters, I think it’s impossible not to start with Addie. She is someone with an endless thirst for life and for discovering the world, trying to make the most of it with the tools she has. She moves almost like a ghost, drifting through people’s lives without ever truly ceasing to exist. I found her to be a fascinating protagonist.
>“She hates this part. She shouldn’t have lingered. Should have been out of sight as well as out of mind, but there’s always that nagging hope that this time, it will be different, that this time, they will remember.”
Henry, on the other hand, wants above all else to be loved and desired. He is sensitive, vulnerable, and constantly searching for purpose in his life. In many ways, he serves as Addie’s opposite.
>“You can’t make people love you, Hen. If it’s not a choice, it isn’t real... His heart has a draft. It lets in light. It lets in storms. It lets in everything.”
Luc, the entity with whom Addie made her bargain, takes the form of the boy she once imagined as perfect. It quickly becomes clear that he is a deeply lonely being, fascinated by Addie’s resilience and stubbornness. His affection for her is subtle and gradually built over time, revealing a possessive, one that is profoundly inhuman. At the same time, Addie seems reluctant to admit just how often she seeks out Luc, as though he has become an inevitable part of her.
>“You think it will get easier,” he says. “It will not. You are as good as gone, and every year you live will feel a lifetime, and in every lifetime, you will be forgotten. Your pain is meaningless. Your life is meaningless. The years will be like weights around your ankles. They will crush you, bit by bit, and when you cannot stand it, you will beg me to put you from your misery.”
Still, the book constantly made me question the relationship between Addie and Henry. How much of Addie’s love for Henry is genuine, and how much of it exists simply because he is the only person who remembers her? And the same question applies to Henry: does he truly love Addie, or is he drawn to the fact that she is the only person immune to the charm he gained after making his own deal with Luc?
In the end, Luc loves Addie as though she were a goddess, while Henry loves her as though she were human, yet Addie is not truly either of those things.
Another aspect I absolutely loved was the way the story connects itself to art and the real world. The book repeatedly shows how art can outlive time, leave marks behind, and preserve memories even after people disappear. I found its exploration of art, memory, and legacy incredibly compelling.
I really enjoyed this book, although I did feel that the ending dragged on a little. The constant alternation between chapters centered on Henry and chapters centered on Luc made the conclusion feel slower than it needed to be. The only aspect that disappointed me was how little Addie actually travels between countries. Considering her immortality, I expected the story to explore more places, cultures, and realities throughout the world. I feel that showing different perspectives and settings would have enriched both Addie’s journey and the novel itself even more.
Even so, for everything this book made me think, feel, and question, I would give it a 9/10