Buckle up kids, because I'm about to YAP about a recent favourite of mine! (Yes, a full analysis was absolutely needed for me to explain my recommendation.)
Book Title and Author: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Historical, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism
Why you liked it & why you're recommending it (and also quotes, putting the quotes here makes sense for me structurally): This book is about Addie LaRue, a woman from the 1700s who made a deal with the Darkness to live forever and, in return, was cursed to have no one remember her... that is, until one day, at a random bookstore in New York 300 years later, there's this boy named Henry.
I will try my best to steer clear of SPOILERS, but be warned!!!
This was my first V.E. Schwab, and I am now her biggest fan! The prose is gorgeous, it's so thematically rich, and I don't think I've truly seen someone write such a tragic heroine and love story before. (Can't ramble on and on about how perfectly heartbreaking the love story is because it's all one big SPOILER.)
My favourite aspect of the book was the alternating timelines. I loved how we started out with Addie in the present, where she’s mastered her curse, so switching to the past and getting to see what the first day, week, month, year and so forth were like for her just makes me feel so much prouder of her as a character. It’s such a stark contrast that it felt so jarring that first time. She was at rock f*cking bottom and clawed her way out over centuries, and it’s truly inspiring.
After all, the darkness only looked the way he did because of her. She’d given him that shape, chosen what to make of him, what to see.
This is the line at the very end of the first page. I think it was a great way to set up the fight for dominance between Addie and the Darkness. (Darkness taking on a physical form is a concept that is so dear to me. Fun fact, it was my final project for Creative Writing in 12th Grade.) Their centuries-long back and forth is fascinating to think about because on the one hand, you have Addie, a random French woman from the 1700s, vs an ancient, all-powerful god who's a little too obsessed with her.
The past drawn like a silk sheet over the present. (pg. 17) - I like “silk sheet” as a simile because it just feels so sultry, like even though she craves meaningful connection, all they’d end up recollecting is the sex.
“... Sam always made her feel like a sunflower, unconsciously angling toward the other girl’s light.” (pg. 101) - That’s because your one constant relationship for the last three centuries has been with the Darkness. (Was this quote relevant to the overarching plot? No. Did I put it in there to hate on the Darkness? Yes, absolutely!)
There is defiance in being a dreamer. (pg. 117) - Addie, my brilliant, spiteful daughter. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, spite is truly one of the world’s greatest motivators. She survived and existed on her own merit and out of pure spite. Addie’s resilience and grit are truly something to be admired.
They have both chosen seams, those ragged lines where things are neither here nor there, but balanced on the brink. (pg. 196) - I love that Addie and Henry represent contrasting seasons, Spring and Fall, renewal and evanesce. It's a constant thing with them - their morals, motivations, everything is on opposite ends. (There's a really beautiful quote that I think encapsulates their relationship perfectly, but I can't put it in here because SPOILERS.)
I like the way that seasons were used thematically in general. Big fan of flower metaphors to highlight the Spring season!
“Take your echoes and pretend they are a voice.” (pg. 332)
But even the writing in his journal isn’t entirely hers. It’s her story in his pen, her life in their words. (pg. 336)
“But art, art is about ideas. And ideas are wilder than memories.” (pg. 261)
I adore the fact that there are different pieces of art related to Addie’s life that act as a crux for each part in the story. Art and ideas have such power in this book. It's how she finds little ways to leave her mark on a world where she's essentially a ghost. I like the use of art as a motif of sorts because it’s another method of storytelling, the way that stories themselves are a form of art. (Both stories and art have always been very important to Addie!)
This is going to sound so strange without clear context, but I love Addie's freckles! I love how they're referred to as stars, and how that imagery is subtly strewn throughout the book at the beginning of each chapter (well, and on the cover). There are also a few passages with imagery of Addie being connected to the night sky, and I think that’s so beautiful, especially with Sam’s (one of her exes) painting “One Forgotten Night.”
(pg. 210) It will be fifty years before she realizes he is right.
Ideas are wilder than memories.
And she can plant them, too.
So, this is closely related to what I said before about ideas. The rest of the quote on pg. 210 mentions something about weeds growing as a metaphor for ideas taking shape, and this tree motif resurges on pg. 327, after Addie saw herself leave a mark for the first time. The quote is a lot longer, and it could also be connected to the specific tree that's important to Addie. Trees are a big deal in this book and are often seen as a metaphor for memories and time (not just in this book!).
(pg. 383) “The soul is the easiest to trade. It’s the time no one considers.”
Like I said before, time is a big part of the book. I love how the author emphasizes the significance of time in Addie's life, along with other characters. It's also really interesting to see how time is connected to impulsiveness. Impulse is part of human nature. We never realize what we’re truly risking by getting what we want. Life is so short and fleeting that it is rare for people to truly analyze and predict the consequences of their actions.
Nowadays, it's very rare for me to sit down with a book that's this reflective, but I would highly recommend you all do so! There's a lot to learn from the themes of this book, and I will never shut up about it.
Your personal Star rating out of 5 (if you wish to): 5.5 Stars! (It's so close to being a 6-Star read for me, but it's just not there.)
Trigger warnings (if any): suicide ideation, attempted assault (the book isn't super explicit, but please check storygraph!)
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