Beautiful Writing in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Published by Tor Books, October 6, 2020

Genre: Modern Literature

Format: I audiobooked this one via purchased Audible

I haven't read such a good book in a long time. I almost started it again as soon as I finished. 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live forever? Did you read Natalie Babbit's Tuck Everlasting in elementary school? There's so much cultural lore and fantasy related to living forever. From highlanders to vampires to sci-fi medical advancements and robo-replacement parts, fiction often speculates about what it might be like to live forever.

Addie LaRue is an old maid in rural France in the 1600s and scheduled to be married off to someone she hasn't chosen to live a life she hasn't chosen, so she goes to the woods and pleads with the "old gods" to spare her, to give her a life of freedom, to give her more time. Eventually, an old god shows up to negotiate, but the bargain costs Addie so much she learns the value of her mentor's advice: "Never pray to gods who answer after dark." 

Schwab tackles big questions in an engaging way. What gives life value? How important is legacy? She moves back and forth between time periods, following Addie over centuries of life. Chapters begin with vignettes of art pieces, the art's value, and its impact. Eventually, it's clear how the art pieces connect.

The writing is lovely. This book will leave you thinking, thoroughly entertained, and curious about V.E. Schwab.

LOVELY BIT

"March is such a fickle month. It is the seam between winter and spring, though seam suggests an even hem, and March is more like a rough line of stitches sewn by an unsteady hand, swinging wildly between January gusts and June greens. You don't know what you'll find until you step outside." 

 “I am stronger than your god and older than your devil. I am the darkness between stars and the roots beneath the earth. I am promise and potential, and when it comes to playing games, I divine the rules, I set the pieces, and I choose when to play.”

RATING

I loved it. I'd read it again.