The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
May 30, 2021 8:16 AM - by Schwab, V. E. - Subscribe

"Addie LaRue was born in France at the very end of the 17th century — but no one remembers that. No one, that is, except for Addie herself and the devil she makes a deal with to escape an unwanted marriage and an ordinary life." (NPR Review)

The author has some stylistic patterns that can be a little repetitive*, but the plot hooks and wide ranging settings propel the book forward to a satisfying and emotionally affecting conclusion.

* Or as she might put it: "Like always saying something three times, like writing it three ways, like serving a trio of similes."
posted by jedicus (5 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I liked this one overall. I thought the main character of this book was compelling, and the descriptions of art and artists equally so.

I was not, however, quite so taken with her love interest, although I did appreciate the vivid and sharply recognizable depiction of anxiety and depression.

Because I wasn't particularly enthused about the love story, I sometimes found myself rooting for the villain of the piece ... although, to be fair, there were definitely some indications in the book which suggested that taking it that way wasn't, let's say, unintentional on the part of the author.
posted by kyrademon at 9:35 AM on May 30, 2021


There was a similar forgetting effect in Claire North's The Sudden Appearance of Hope.

Annd the 2004 Sci-Fi Flick The Forgotten touched on the idea of someone being erased from memory from the perspective of someone fighting against forgetting.

I think the idea of being forgotten, or not being memorable, of being unable to make connections with others, has a lot of thematic power that can still be explored. This was a fairly interesting exploration, and I liked the conceit that made the love interest able to remember.
posted by Chrysopoeia at 5:43 AM on June 1, 2021


I haven't read the book, but I just want to point out how fun the title is to say. Iambic pentameter?
posted by zardoz at 3:37 PM on June 8, 2021


Seems closer to dactylic tetrameter to me.
posted by kyrademon at 3:47 PM on June 8, 2021


No, I'm wrong. Anapestic tetrameter.
posted by kyrademon at 4:16 AM on June 9, 2021


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