Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Share
NOTE - There will be some minor spoilers in this review so don't read on if you're not ready for that!
THE BASICS
First of all, the idea of being able to sort of live forever and even the idea of having it be a bit of a curse isn't necessarily new. But I have to say, I've never seen it used in conjunction with no one being able to remember you. I mean, damn.
I love this concept as much as I hate it 😅 but I only hate it because it's absolutely terrifying. I love that it made me question how I would handle myself and weigh it against Addie's choices.
I mean, I'll be real here. I don't know how the hell I would handle something so painfully lonely. Even in the darkest times of my own life, when all I wanted was to be left alone, it ate me from the inside out.
And then to add the frustration of never being able to create things, keep things, amass or build yourself or your life in any way - wow.
I also love that Addie isn't tied down to a heterosexual experience in many years on the planet. And that she didn't just end up making a lover of her demon... more on that later.
CONTROVERSY
It's been argued that Schwab could have used this story as a springboard for conversations around things like war and slavery. Some people have been angry at Addie's character for not participating in fighting for much of anything.
But, if we consider that she was a privileged "girl" in a centuries-long depression, we might understand it differently. It's not to say the main character's choices were right or wrong, but simply that, sometimes, we need to tell stories from perspectives we may not like.
And, to be fair, it seems that this very controversy has allowed for these conversations to happen, regardless. They've just happened in online forums instead of inside the book itself.
THE LOVE INTEREST
A lot of people don't like Henry. I kind of want to laugh because I'm not a huge fan of him, either, but I also like his character for this book 🤷🏻♀️
Listen, I get it. He's a little flat and he is not in ANY way what we come to expect from a "book boyfriend." But I think that's sort of the point. And, honestly, that's what makes me like him as a character. (But not as a love interest. He seriously kind of sucks 😆)
I think Schwab was smart to write him kind of flat. I think it says a lot about Addie, about where she was in her life and in her mind. About how badly she needed to be seen, known, and remembered. That she would latch on and create a relationship even with someone who seemed to offer so little in the way of passion, excitement, or even love.
Schwab avoided the trap of Stockholm syndrome and the whole "falling in love with an evil demon" thing that I've seen in far too many books. Side note - I know that it's a beloved trope by many but it just yucks me out to reinforce some idea of women being subservient and "bound" to fall in love with their captors and abusers. I honestly though this book might swing that way. And I think Addie flirted with the idea to a point. After all, he'd made himself the only constant in her life. But I am very happy to see she kept her mind strong and that the book upheld an idea that women can, in fact, win out against such tropes.
Alright. That's enough from me. What did YOU think?