Blink, and the years fall away like leaves.
the invisible like of addie larue, v. e. schwab
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publication Date: 6 October 2020
Publisher: Tor Books
Page Count: 448
Reading Method: Physical Book
Synopsis:
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Review:
“Blink, and the years fall away like leaves.”
My heartttttt. I was so hesitant to pick this one up. Not because I had heard awful things about it, but rather, the opposite. Everyone seemed to absolutely love this story and I’ve had trouble with hyped books in the past (looking at you, The Night Circus). But holy wow, this book left a lasting impression on me. I will forever think about this story in the quiet moments and wonder how it hit me so hard.
This story follows the life of Addie LaRue who, three hundered years ago, made a deal with a god who answered after dark. In exchange for a life of freedom, Addie is to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Literally, everyone. After 300 years wandering the earth, trying to find some way to leave an impression of her existence, she hears three words that change everything – “I remember you.” For some reason Henry, the bookshop cutie, can remember Addie; something no one else has been able to do. As they grow closer we learn more about both of their characters and how they change each other’s lives forever.
Admittedly, this was a bit of a slow start for me. It took me a little while to grasp what was going on and to get into the groove of the writing style. There was a lot of back and forth through the years, which became much easier to navigate as the story progressed. I found myself falling in love in and experiencing heartbreak in one day increments throughout the course of Addie’s life.
Though there are many characters included in Addie’s story, there are three main players: Addie, Luc, and Henry. Addie can be a bit difficult to get a read on, but I feel she opens up as the story progresses. We start to see a lighter, happier version of her in which we get to learn even more about her story and how it impacts her every decision. She is headstrong, brave, and determined to leave an impression on the world though no one can directly remember her. It was wonderful to see the inventive ways she was able to leave her mark. Luc is the god who answered after dark. He’s the one who made the deal with Addie and locked her into these unfortunate terms. I don’t know about y’all, but there is just something about a dark, dreamy, slightly (or entirely) evil hottie that makes me swoon. Luc was my absolute favorite character, and I loved every moment he was present in the story. Finally, we have Henry. Henry runs the bookstore and is the first person to be able to remember Addie. He was interesting, but nothing compared to Luc (in my humble opinion). Henry is smart, caring, and troubled.
Overall, this is one that I keep coming back to. It hasn’t left my mind since I finished reading it and I think it will be one of my favorites for years to come.
