The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab is perhaps best known for her Shades of Magic series (which, so good), but her newest is unlike any fantasy novel you’ve read before. Addie LaRue is a young woman in 1700s rural France who makes a deal with a god of darkness, which promises her freedom and being tied to no one — but cursed with the fact that everyone she meets will forget her. At first, she is elated to have freedom, but then she realizes the loneliness of no one remembering her.

Yet, one day, Addie meets Henry Strauss, a Jewish bookseller. When she returns the next day to the bookstore, he remembers her. Henry is the first person to remember her in 300 years, and so begins their tale. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is that sweet spot of fantasy, historical fiction (the key narration is in the 2010s, but flashes back to Addie throughout the decades), and love stories. I genuinely had no idea how it was going to end, and as soon as I got to the last page, I just wanted more.

As Slate points out: “ Because Addie covers so much ground, it can be disappointing when stories are hinted at but never manifest (do I need to keep an eye out for her quickly mentioned time in Prague?), and one wonders why we hear so little about any travels the insatiably curious Addie makes beyond Europe and North America. But though Addie’s world may be vast, it is depicted with careful attention to detail, like the changes in her vocabulary that subtly signal time’s passage.”

In sum, if you like fantasy rooted in reality: this is for you.

Rating: ★★★★