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A review by books_with_mana
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
4.0
Part-fantasy, part-speculative, part historical, part-metafiction, part-urban fantasy, and a full-on emotional rollercoaster. This immersive novel is a breath of fresh air.
Okay, just a warning: This novel is heavy on the romance. Just a warning for those who aren’t a fan. Romance is a core element in this novel’s narrative. You’ll see.
Does humanity genuinely want immortality or do we crave being remembered for generations long after we die? How is history made?
V. E. Schwab explores these thematic concerns through the character Addie LaRue. Born in 1691, women aren’t allowed to read, write, leave town, and expected to have babies until they die. As a girl, Addie is fascinated with her father’s travels and grew up playing in Estele’s independent, small hut. Addie is powerless as a girl in the 17th and 18th centuries, but she is stubborn. Addie refuses to follow the path laid out in front of her. So she runs away and makes a deal with one of the old gods, trading her soul away for immortality. There’s a catch, of course, because there always is. No one can remember her.
That is until she becomes an idea.
“The first mark she left upon the world, long before she knew the truth, that ideas are so much wilder than memories, that they long and look for ways of taking root.”
Brilliant!
This marks a shift in Addie’s character development when she becomes less interested in survival and more interest in historical impact/creative inspiration. Her character development echoes humanity’s artistic trajectory, hanging around different artists who work in various mediums. She becomes humanity’s muse.
This turns into an opportunity for Schwab to comment on great art, artists, and its impact. After all, what is art but the reimagination/commentary on events? In other words, art is just history that includes humanity’s biases and emotions. Schwab said it best in this novel:
“History is made in retrospect.”
Schwab continues to play with narrative structure in her latest novel. She has mastered multiple POVs and timelines after playing with that structure that she effectively utilized within the 2013 & 2018 Villains series. Schwab elevates this style by including commentary that is metafiction in nature.
I will end my review by writing this: I’ve followed V. E. Schwab since I got twitter. I’ve read her complain about writing new drafts for this novel. Schwab is not shy when talks about working on this novel for 10 years. She’s published so many books within that time. I’ve watched her start and abandon this novel for other projects that without a doubt paid her bills and flights around the globe. Schwab is the rich, successful White woman I can never be. Even with all of her privileges and opportunities, she still experiences the same imposter syndrome, doubts, fatigue, and burnout that I experience. She pulls the veil down on a romanticized career and exposes the nitty-gritty. I respect Schwab for everything she does and how she inspires writers with various experiences. And I’m proud to have seen the small snippets of Schwab’s journey creating The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It’s been an honor and it surpassed all of my expectations.
Okay, just a warning: This novel is heavy on the romance. Just a warning for those who aren’t a fan. Romance is a core element in this novel’s narrative. You’ll see.
Does humanity genuinely want immortality or do we crave being remembered for generations long after we die? How is history made?
V. E. Schwab explores these thematic concerns through the character Addie LaRue. Born in 1691, women aren’t allowed to read, write, leave town, and expected to have babies until they die. As a girl, Addie is fascinated with her father’s travels and grew up playing in Estele’s independent, small hut. Addie is powerless as a girl in the 17th and 18th centuries, but she is stubborn. Addie refuses to follow the path laid out in front of her. So she runs away and makes a deal with one of the old gods, trading her soul away for immortality. There’s a catch, of course, because there always is. No one can remember her.
That is until she becomes an idea.
“The first mark she left upon the world, long before she knew the truth, that ideas are so much wilder than memories, that they long and look for ways of taking root.”
Brilliant!
This marks a shift in Addie’s character development when she becomes less interested in survival and more interest in historical impact/creative inspiration. Her character development echoes humanity’s artistic trajectory, hanging around different artists who work in various mediums. She becomes humanity’s muse.
This turns into an opportunity for Schwab to comment on great art, artists, and its impact. After all, what is art but the reimagination/commentary on events? In other words, art is just history that includes humanity’s biases and emotions. Schwab said it best in this novel:
“History is made in retrospect.”
Schwab continues to play with narrative structure in her latest novel. She has mastered multiple POVs and timelines after playing with that structure that she effectively utilized within the 2013 & 2018 Villains series. Schwab elevates this style by including commentary that is metafiction in nature.
I will end my review by writing this: I’ve followed V. E. Schwab since I got twitter. I’ve read her complain about writing new drafts for this novel. Schwab is not shy when talks about working on this novel for 10 years. She’s published so many books within that time. I’ve watched her start and abandon this novel for other projects that without a doubt paid her bills and flights around the globe. Schwab is the rich, successful White woman I can never be. Even with all of her privileges and opportunities, she still experiences the same imposter syndrome, doubts, fatigue, and burnout that I experience. She pulls the veil down on a romanticized career and exposes the nitty-gritty. I respect Schwab for everything she does and how she inspires writers with various experiences. And I’m proud to have seen the small snippets of Schwab’s journey creating The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It’s been an honor and it surpassed all of my expectations.