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

 "Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end everyone wants to be remembered."

The wonderful art is created by Mikrideb

It is the year 1714 in a small village of France and Adeline, a young, wild girl full of dreams is about to get married against her will. As the noose of a miserable and unfulfilled life is getting tighter around her throat, Adeline escapes to the woods and she prays in the darkness for salvation only to be answered back by the Darkness himself. In her desperate desire for life beyond the confines of her small village, she strikes a deal with him: a long life in exchange for her soul, when she is done with it. But the Dark is ruthless and twists the deal into a curse, and so Addie is to be forgotten by everyone she meets, the second she is out of sight. For centuries she has moved through life as a ghost, until one day in a used-bookstore she meets Henry, who speaks the three little words that she has been longing to hear, "I remember you..."

If this story was music, it would be a dark and lustful waltz and if it was dessert, it would be bitter chocolate souffle. It was a very pleasant read, rife with titbits of art and culture,  that left an aftertaste of melancholy as we read through Addie's long and lonesome journey through life, contemplating death, the hardships and loss she has experienced, unable to make any meaningful relationships, unable to make a home somewhere, unable to make a mark in the word at all, to leave a trace of her existence. But for every ten endless hours of pain, Addie will cling tenaciously to life for the one moment of wonder that makes it worth all the suffering. For the marvelous food, for miraculous technological advancements, but most of all, for the extraordinary art. 

And also, to spite the Devilishly charming Darkness by not relinquishing her soul to him. 

I admit, those scenes with Addie and Luc (aka the Darkness) gave me endless delight every time. Bravo Addie, I am not so sure I would have been able to resist surrendering to Luc (sigh and swoon).

This is a standalone romance that jumps back and forth in time. There are two points of view, Addie's which is prominent and, later on in the novel, Henry's which (I'm not gonna lie), even though poignant, important issues such as deep insecurities and co-dependence, depression and suicide are addressed in those chapters, they weren't as compelling as Addie's. 

As for the ending, it was simply perfect.

The novel isn't particularly fast paced; it could be considered, as the title suggests, a biography of Addie LaRue' s invisible life. One that explores what it is that drives people throughout their lives, what gives them meaning, and if there ever exists such a moment in someone's life when they will have had their fill of it and say "Enough". 

Well, to quote the wise Darkness, "The vexing thing about time, is that it's never enough. Perhaps a decade too short, perhaps a moment. But a life always ends too soon."

  

 My ratings:

Plot: 3/5

Conclusion: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Movie Potential: 5/5

'Who should play them in the movie' :

Adelaide Kane as Addie LaRue

Do you agree with my casting? 

Please leave your own suggestions below in the comments.