“Three words, large enough to tip the world. I remember you.”
–V.E. Schwab, Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab, who has also published under Victoria Schwab, is a very busy author. In the past decade, she has gifted the world with more than a dozen books ranging from middle grade fantasy to adult lit and even comics. Unfortunately, Addie LaRue is my introduction to her *gasp*, but it definitely won’t be my last of her books. I am intrigued now.
Synopsis
Adeline LaRue is a free-spirited 23 year old in France in the year 1714. When she’s promised to be married to a newly eligible widower as a mother to his children, she immediately feels as if she’s being thrust into a life of misery. Out of desperation, she prays to the most dangerous of deities as a last resort for gaining her freedom, the gods who answer after dark. A mysterious dark figure answers her call and grants her wish for freedom, but it comes with a terrible price. In true Faustian fashion, Addie is granted immortality, but she surrenders her identity and her soul. Her name can never once be said, and her face will never be remembered by another human being. Addie is doomed to walk the Earth as a shadow, just a fleeting presence enjoyed for a moment and then lost forever, never leaving a mark upon the world. Until she meets Henry Strauss, the manager of a second hand book store in New York City. Henry remembers her. And their meeting will change both of their lives forever.
Review
This book is charming, captivating, and lyrical. I picked it up because of all the high praise I was seeing from other reviewers on WordPress, and I definitely get it. This book is the perfect blend of darkness and light. I thought both Addie and Henry were brilliantly crafted and believable characters. Addie experiences such amazing things over her 300 years. She has a fascinating character arc drawn from unique experience. Henry is an incredibly authentic character, someone who can’t see his own value and exists within a sphere of misery, desperate to find approval and affection. Luc, as well, the demon darkness incarnate, was a brooding presence that brought so much excitement and intrigue to the story. Though Luc is a god, he’s not impervious to the perils of loneliness and human emotion. As much as Addie loathes him, the two are inextricably linked and tethered to a world no one else can understand. This relationship between Addie and Luc was complex and fluid, and I found myself having similarly complex emotions about him. I greatly enjoy growing to like a villain while simultaneously rooting for their downfall.
We see Addie’s life in a series of moments. We vacillate between the present in 2014, where we’re introduced to how she navigates the modern world, and her history spanning the years from 1714 to the present in chronological order. In each past flashback, we see Addie’s interactions with Luc as he visits in an attempt to get her to relinquish her soul. We see him rebuffed as Addie gains strength and knowledge of how to survive in a world that offers her no assistance. There’s an interesting power shift as we see Addie gain a bit more control with every passing year.
A life such as Addie’s is both sad and fascinating. What would it be like to live through the most pivotal moments in human history? The intense life altering knowledge gained by human invention, technological progression, renaissance of art and music, and the fracturing of the planet by wars sparked by human greed and ignorance. It’s so much for one person to process. Especially without feeling true human connection, or having that human connection severed at the last moment. I think the taste of it followed by intense loss would be the worst part. Oh, how ironic is a life of guaranteed permanence marred by an inability to ever obtain a feeling of permanence? A life of mere existence isn’t really a life at all. Rather, our lives are measured in the moments and the experiences that matter.
I love how Addie is able to find very subtle ways to leave her mark as a muse for artists and musicians, people who will never remember her but whose artistic endeavors contain little whispers of Addie. There’s such power in an image or an idea.
“Art is about ideas. And ideas are wilder than memories. They’re like weeds, always finding their way up.”
– V.E. Schwab
This book is though-provoking in that regard. Most of us will never become famous, and we won’t be written about in history books or immortalized in song. Our marks on the world may be fleeting, but that doesn’t mean they don’t matter. A stranger may not remember your face, but they may remember a smile or a kind word you gave to them. The smallest of gifts are important to the receiver who reaps the benefit. A small inquiry of “are you ok” can save a life, the same way a lone star twinkling in the sky can guide a lost traveler home.
And speaking of stars, I have not gone back to check, but I did wonder if the number of pieces of art mentioned in the book matched the number of “stars” or freckles on Addie’s face. The one thing people always noticed about Addie was the 7 freckles, and they were usually the tie between the different artistic works. Perhaps someday I will go back through and see how many different artistic pieces were profiled in the chapters, but for now I’ll leave it as a mystery. Doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but would have been a clever thing to include.
Overall, this is magical and lyrical book that has so many strengths. I love the narrative style. I love the character development. And I love the story. Not once did I get bored, and I savored every word until the very end.
Liane Moriarty is one of those novelists whose work I eagerly anticipate. Her characters are always refreshingly human, quirky, and endearingly flawed. The plots of her books are unique, and each one is typically infused with a great mix of humor and poignancy. I can relate to many of the characters, always strong women navigating the difficult aspects of life. 
As you know, I always have two books going at once, one on audio and one in either hardback/paperback. Well, this week I’ve literally just finished one and am getting ready to pick up the next in line, so I’m only going to claim the one for my currently reading. On audio, I am almost finished (about 80%) with 
So, I probably shouldn’t be allowed to enter libraries. I showed up today to pick up a book I had on hold and walked out with 5. Oops. Suffice to say, I need to stay nose in a book before the due date of May 12th comes about. Can I do it with small children and a full time job and a house that’s bulging at the seams with useless crap that needs to be sorted through? Of course! *sarcasm alert* I can at least try, that’s all I’m promising. 
Moving on, the two I’m most excited to pick up include our next book club selection, 
In 2020, I felt like I saw Isabel Allende popping up everywhere. She stays relevant by having a presence in pop culture, making guest appearances in major television shows like Jane the Virgin, in which she confronted her own real life trauma for the purpose of helping a character deal with her own. It was an incredibly moving and pivotal moment in the show that helped illustrate literature’s important place in helping us make sense of the incomprehensible tragedies of life. As an avid reader, I find it strange that I made it to the age of 36 without having picked up one of her books, so I added her to my TBR ASAP list. 
Daughter of Fortune follows Eliza Sommers, a young Chilean woman left on the doorstep of Jeremy and Rose Sommers, a brother and sister who reside in the British colony of Valparaiso in Chile. She’s raised by Rose with the help of Mama Fresia, the native Chilean cook who helps out at the Sommers estate. Eliza grows up in these dichotomous worlds, both a lady of culture and style and one of resourcefulness with a lust for adventure and knowledge. The novel spans time from the early 19th century in Valparaiso through the mid-1800’s at the height of the California Gold Rush that sees our young heroine set off for California by herself in search of her lover, the idealistic Joaquin Andieta. The novel finds Eliza facing harrowing obstacles, instantly forcing her to confront the bounds of her own perseverance. By her side on her quest is a Chinese healer, Tao Chi’en, a grieving sailor who was duped into a sailing contract by the captain of a ship sailing for Chile despite his successful career as a zhong yi, or a Chinese physician. Though they both are in search of a specific kind of deliverance, they will each discover their destinies are not what they had originally expected.
Allende is considered a leading author in the genre of magical realism. I would place this book more into the category of straight historical fiction. Sure, there’s a bit of the fantastical here. An example would be the presence of Tao Chi’en’s dead wife, a ghostly presence that follows him and provides counsel from time to time. However, it’s purely up to reader interpretation as to whether or not Lin is actually present or is just a figment of Tao’s imagination meant to help him cope with the stress of his new life. Overall, this novel presents a realistic look at the difficulties and hardships of the North American frontier as immigrants from all over the globe converged on California in pursuit of the all consuming obsession that was gold. Allende is not overly verbose. She gets to the point. Her prose is as raw as the California landscape in the 1840’s, quite effortlessly beautiful when warranted, though more than a little harsh. This was a time that either saw people flourish or become consumed by the ill-tempered fury of the times. People either relented under the pressure of pain, prejudice, lust or vengeance, or they became stronger, more compassionate, more willing to come to the aid of their fellow humans, if they survived at all. 
At first glance, I could tell this book was right up my alley. Badass women, trips down deep back corridors of the darkened streets of historic London, and a bit of a mystery to sweeten the pot. As for the cover, I adore the blend of colors, the font, the aura of mystery. I’m intrigued by stories with dual timelines, though this can become tricky if one is more well executed than the other, so I’m generally wary. It didn’t hurt that this book is a very short read, as I’m woefully behind on my reading goal.
I’ve always loved classics, but I gravitate more toward 19th century British lit, and authors like Vonnegut often have been relegated to the “I know I should read it and I’ll get to it eventually” pile. We all have one of those piles, correct? That’s why it’s helpful in book club when every now and then a member chooses one of these classics. Such was the situation with Slaughterhouse-Five. And I’m really glad to have finally picked this up. This is a very personal novel for Vonnegut. In 1943, Vonnegut enlisted in the army. He was sent to fight in the European campaign during WWII where he was captured during the Battle of the Bulge. He was sent to Dresden and was, in fact, in a meat locker during the fire bombing of Dresden by Allied forces in February 1945. 
I’ll start by saying this book was a fabulous book club pick. There’s so much to analyze and to discuss, and I actually found myself growing to admire Vonnegut even more after discussing the book with the other members of Read Between the Wines. Also, I knew this book was on the banned books list, which basically gives me extra incentive to read it. In the Mentalfloss article, “
If we were to break this down, it becomes fairly obvious that the creation of the Tralfamadorians within Pilgrim’s mind are a coping mechanism. They are a way to explain and process that which is unthinkable. His jumping through time is his way of placing himself within a happier existence, convincing himself that as long as he has been contented and will be again, the present agony doesn’t matter. And the deaths of his fellow soldiers as well as the strangers in Dresden who were all blinked from existence in a raging fireball don’t matter because a being can’t actually die in a four-dimensional reality in which all points in time exist concurrently with one another. It’s both comforting and simultaneously tragic. In a prior life of my own I may have gone down the research rabbit-hole and devoured page upon page of literary analysis from people much smarter than myself. As it is, I’m merely content to regurgitate my gut reactions. I’ve seen people classify this book as science fiction. I would completely disagree with that. Despite the presence of the Tralfamadorians, I don’t believe we are meant to believe they actually exist. 
In my opinion, this novel is an excellent portrait of the living casualties of war. Those who return home haunted by the ghosts of the past. Really, this is a flawless portrait of PTSD. According to the 
If you could sum this book up in one line, it would probably be: Idiots are people too. As usual, Backman presents us with startling truths in a way that also brings a smile to our faces. His writing is always superb, his characters refreshingly quirky, and his stories the kind of heartfelt fare to which you can’t help but return. It’s amazing to me that Backman’s first novel came out in 2012 and he’s since consistently been able to release incredible books on a regular basis. 
I don’t think there’s anything about this book that isn’t charming. Once again Backman has exhibited that he has a very intimate grasp of what it means to be human. He sees people, inside and out, with all their flaws and idiosyncrasies. And he makes that complete package beautiful and understandable. So much of this book is relatable simply because we’re all people. And, honestly, we’re all idiots. To someone, anyway, you are an idiot. And to you, they are an idiot. But what would happen if you were forced to really connect with that person on a level that we never grant to strangers? That’s the question that this book poses. And if you really take time to think about it, you start to see people differently. Deep down we’re all battling so many of the same things. Whether it be crippling anxieties, feelings of inadequacy, unrealistic expectations, abject loneliness, we all have our inner demons that stop us from feeling quite right about where we are in life. These feelings have no regard for how much money or status one has. We’ve all looked in a mirror or listened to our own voices played back to us, cringed, and thought, “why do I have to be this way?” Frankly, if you haven’t had these experiences, you’re probably dreadful to be around. 
A Librarian and Her Books 