The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I am not the typical reader of this kind of book. Time travel stories and I never see eye-to-eye. And yet I thought this book was fantastic! Special accolades to the writing, and the emotional story line with its focus on the supernatural forces that live within our world. It’s a long book, one that in the beginning seemed to meander somewhat but once it caught on, it went like gangbusters to its amazing conclusion.

“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”

As we all know, the Faustian theme has been used many times in stories and it was definitely present here as the young unhappy Addie LaRue makes a bargain with a god of the forest (never bargain with gods who come out after dark) and escapes a dull, unrewarding soon to be marriage and withdraws into a world where she becomes unknown, invisible in a sense, and forgotten after any meeting. She wanders the earth with encounters from Luc, so named because after all, he is Lucifer! Luc baits Addie, trying to get her to surrender her soul, the debt she owes him, but Addie is determined to best the devil, to retain her soul, to never give in.

Lonely desolate Addie over the years is tempted by Luc many times. However, after three hundred years, Addie meets a young man, Henry, and low and behold he sees and remembers her. They fall in love but Henry holds a secret as well. All this time, Luc is there as he too falls for the lovely Addie.

“Do you know how to live three hundred years?” she says. And when he asks how, she smiles. “The same way you live one. A second at a time.”

However, strong willed Addie has a way to make her pact with the devil work for her and in time she just might be able to best the devil who ensnared her.

I loved this story of the battle between a strong-minded girl grown to womanhood and the devil who demanded his ultimate reward. Their meetings were so interspersed with the lure of giving up when times are indeed tough, of stopping the fight for a life that will be unremembered. It is a tale of love and hate, being seen and unseen, never giving up the fight and thinking through what you think you desire. I so enjoyed Addie’s spirit, the one that allowed this young woman to fight against insurmountable odds, find love, and perhaps also find within herself a reason to be remembered.

“Three words, large enough to tip the world. I remember you.”

I definitely recommend this story as I have been thinking about it since I read the last word and was ever so sorry to see this one end.