The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 

Welcome to our first bookclub of 2021! Unfortunately, we are still quarantined, but bookclub goes on. To kick things off for the year, we read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. In the book, the main character, Addie LaRue, is a free spirit living in France during the 1700s. Although she is bequeathed to marry, she has no desire to live out her days as a wife and mother in her small village. She wants to be free at all costs. At the 11th hour, she makes a deal with one of the gods of darkness. From this point on, she is free, but also forgotten. As soon as people leave her presence or fall asleep, they forget she ever existed. The book goes back and forth in time between the past and three hundred years later in New York City when she meets a man who remembers.  What? How? Why? All these intriguing questions are answered throughout the story.

The general reception of the book was positive. We agreed that the premise was interesting and it was fun to read about Addie's experiences in different cities during different times in history. Some wanted to learn more about the rules of the curse; others were interested in Addie's relationship with Luc, the god of darkness, and what happens after the ending of the book.

As with all bookclubs we also checked in and caught up with each other's lives. Covid continues to ravage the world and so we discussed how its impact continues to be felt by us, our loved ones, our children, our neighborhoods and communities. We'll get through this. In the meantime, we're going to carry on and keep reading!