THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE
In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.
A life no one will remember. A story you will never forget.
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,
In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.
A life no one will remember. A story you will never forget.
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.
- Tor Books
- Paperback
- April 2023
- 448 Pages
- 9780765387578
Buy the Book
$19.99
About V. E. Schwab
Victoria “V. E.” Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
Praise
A “Best Of” Book from:
Oprah Mag * CNN * NPR * Goodreads * Bustle * PopSugar * BuzzFeed * Amazon * Amazon Editors * Barnes & Noble * BookBub * Literary Hub * Chicago Tribune * NY Daily News * LibraryReads * Kirkus Reviews * Bookish * Book Riot * Powells.com * Lambda Literary * Nerdette * The Nerd Daily * Polygon * io9 * Smart Bitches Trashy Books * Medium * The Mary Sue * SyFy Wire *
“One of the most propulsive, compulsive and captivating novels in recent memory.” ―The Washington Post
“Warm and intense…I rooted for [Addie] throughout.” ―New York Times Book Review
“Beautifully explores what it means to be alone for so long.” ―USA Today
“I for one will most certainly remember her.” ―NPR
“Evocative and clever…Will leave you smiling, filled with love and longing for more magical moments in everyday life.” ―CNN
“An achingly poignant romantic fantasy about the desperate desire to make one’s mark on the world.” ―Oprah.com
“For someone damned to be forgettable, Addie LaRue is a most delightfully unforgettable character, and her story is the most joyous evocation of unlikely immortality.” ―Neil Gaiman
“Completely absorbed me enough to make me forget the real world.” ―Jodi Picoult
“A book that will stay with you long after you finish reading the last word.” ―Seventeen Magazine
Discussion Questions
1. What are the best and worst things about Addie’s invisible life? What is the emotional toll of being unable to imprint herself on the heart and mind of another person? When does it give her an advantage?
2. Discuss the intense power struggle between Addie and Luc. What makes him such a master of seduction? How does Addie reclaim her power and agency over the course of the centuries?
3. Addie slips into the homes (and even the clothes) of people from all walks of life. Which abode did you like the best? If Addie borrowed your house, what would she enjoy the most about the contents of your cupboards and your closets?
4. As we meet Addie’s many lovers, Remy stands out as the first man who lived up to her girlhood fantasies. On the magical night they met, Addie was dressed in a pair of trousers, a buttoned coat, and a tricorne hat. How did her disguise (as “Thomas”) stoke their passion?
5. Living without a bank account or a phone or an address, Addie is reduced to pilfering and theft to quell her physical suffering. Is it a blessing or a curse that she only has to worry about momentary suffering, not survival? What new appreciation do you have for the ordinary things you count on to make it through di fficult times?
6. In Part Three, Chapter II, the author writes, “The time between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon is merciless, every second doled out with the care of an old woman counting pennies to pay for bread. Not once does it seem to quicken, not once does she lose track of it. She can’t seem to spend it, or waste it, or even misplace it.” How does the possibility of an infinite lifespan change the way Addie sees life itself ?
7. Addie’s situation is transformed when she steps into The Last Word for the first time. Discuss the role of the written word in her life. What does her taste in books say about her? What does it mean for her to be deprived of a lasting version of her own life story?
8. Belief plays such a central role in the narrative, specifically in the shaping of foundational identities, from the LaRue family’s rigid Christianity to Estele and her faith in the old gods, to Addie, whose belief in a fantasy shapes the physical representation of Luc, and Henry, whose loss of belief leaves him feeling lost. How does Estele’s immersion in the spirit world compare to Henry’s studious theology? Do you believe in the existence of gods that answer after dark?
9. How do Addie’s and Henry’s deals with Luc complete each other (the freedom of eternal youth paired with perpetual impermanence; constant acceptance paired with the obliteration of the true self )? If you could receive one of their “curses” for just twenty-four hours, which would you choose? Have you ever been pushed so far to the brink that you might have made a deal with Luc?
10. As the chapters unfold from the seventeenth century to modern times, and as the novel oscillates between rural life and spectacular cities, what timeless, universal aspects of human nature emerge? From warfare to popular culture, revolution to liberation, how much progress does Addie witness? To what degree does she also watch history repeat itself ?
11. As the intention behind Bea’s project was revealed, what did you discover about the power of art to preserve hidden truths? In what way is Addie’s identity written in the stars?
12. How did you react to the novel’s ending? What had you been predicting for Addie?
Guide written by Amy Root Clements
Excerpt
Villon-sur-Sarthe, France
July 29, 1714
A girl is running for her life.
The summer air burns at her back, but there are no torches, no angry mobs, only the distant lanterns of the wedding party, the reddish glow of the sun as it breaks against the horizon, cracks and spills across the hills, and the girl runs, skirts tangling in the grass as she surges toward the woods, trying to beat the dying light.
Voices carry on the wind, calling her name.
Adeline? Adeline? Adeline!
Her shadow stretches out ahead—too long, its edges already blurring—and small white flowers tumble from her hair, littering the ground like stars. A constellation left in her wake, almost like the one across her cheeks.
Seven freckles. One for every love she’d have, that’s what Estele had said, when the girl was still young.
One for every life she’d lead.
One for every god watching over her.
Now, they mock her, those seven marks. Promises. Lies. She’s had no loves, she’s lived no lives, she’s met no gods, and now she is out of time.
But the girl doesn’t slow, doesn’t look back; she doesn’t want to see the life that stands there, waiting. Static as a drawing. Solid as a tomb.
Instead, she runs.
Excerpted from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab. To be published by Tor Books Copyright © 2020.