When that escape proves itself unlivable, she finds a way to live through it and even to carve out moments of joy. She longs for a life of freedom but was born in a time that did not afford that to women, so she found an escape. There are two or three dramatic plot developments in the latter half of the book, but before that it is a story of a woman persisting. Resilience is the main takeaway from Addie LaRue, at least for me. If we, the readers, don’t live at least some of that time with her, Henry’s recognition would not have nearly the impact. Addie lives nearly three hundred years in a limbo of memory before she meets someone who remembers her. Centuries pass, but these frustrating, often fruitless, usually heartbreaking moments both illuminate Addie as a character-she is stubborn, yes, but more than that she is clever, optimistic, unrelenting, and endlessly in love with the world and the people in it-and set the stage for the latter part of the novel. Addie’s frustrations and triumphs are laid bare as she tests the boundaries of her curse and finds herself trapped… or finds a small loophole. In the hands of a lesser writer, this might have been boring, but Schwab excels in the little moments. It is, I suppose, a fair criticism for much of her life, Addie’s existence is cyclical. I suspect that the few people who dislike Addie LaRue are put off by the repetitiveness. Addie LaRue succeeds on the strength of its titular character, and in the fascinating specification and limitations of her Faustian deal. Usually, character relationships make or break a story for me.
Because all of Addie’s acquaintances forget her as soon as they turn their backs, there’s not much opportunity for her to form any long-term relationships or even to interact with other people except in the most superficial ways. If I’d heard the synopsis of Addie LaRue without Schwab’s name attached, I would have said that there’s no way it would work as a concept, and certainly not for 442 pages. I haven’t read all her books, but the ones I have read all have interesting characters and magical systems that sit outside the norm. Repeatedly over the years, Addie’s dark god comes to her to see if she has tired of her eternal purgatory and is ready to hand over her soul.
By asking to remain free and untied to anyone, Addie finds herself immortal and unable to leave any kind of mark she is immediately forgotten once out of sight, and she cannot so much as speak her name. On the eve of her arranged marriage, Addie makes a desperate plea for her freedom and has her wish unexpectedly granted.
I had high expectations for Addie LaRue, and I’m happy to report that it met them.Īddie LaRue was told not to pray to the gods who answer after dark, but sometimes they’re the only ones who answer. It was only a matter of time before I read it, and then I went on vacation and had a good twelve hours in the backseat of a car. Also, it’s by the same person who wrote A Darker Shade of Magic.
All that good stuff, plus a gorgeous cover. It was released in October of 2020, but now-eight months later-it is still selling really well. Schwab is an immensely popular book right now. Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.It is no secret that The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. It is not a palimpsest, written over by a new iteration. “But please remember, no one can change/ruin/fuck up my book. On Instagram, Schwab asked her readers not to say things like “They better not change/ruin/fuck up this thing I love.” Schwab will produce the film alongside Gerard Butler ( The Vanishing), Alan Siegel ( Angel Has Fallen), and Danielle Robinson ( Hair of the Dog). In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the novel “a darkly romantic and suspenseful tale by a writer at the top of her game.”ĭirector Frizzell, known for her films Never Goin’ Back and The Last Letter From Your Lover, is writing the screenplay for the film with David Lowery, her husband and the screenwriter of Pete’s Dragon and The Green Knight. After three centuries, though, she encounters a man who’s able to remember her. Schwab’s fantasy novel, published last year by Tor, tells the story of an 18th-century woman who is granted immortality but is doomed to be forgotten whenever she’s out of sight. Schwab’s bestselling The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Variety reports.
Augustine Frizzell will direct the film adaptation of V.E.