The Invisible Life of Addie Larue: A review

A girl born in a small French village in the 17^th Century, sees the life that is laid out for her, sees the marriage that has been arranged for her to an older man with kids from a previous marriage, sees the toil and heartache that is in store for her, and decides to run. She prays to the gods of nature that her friend has told her about, but the one who answers is darkness. We never really know if he is the Devil or a demon. She just refers to him as the Darkness. She buys freedom and life for as long as she wants it in exchange for her soul.

When she wakes, she discovers that no one knows her, not even her parents. She further discovers that once she disappears from someone’s view, they no longer remember meeting her. The title says invisible life. She is not invisible, but her "life" is, her existence is. No matter how long she lives she will leave no mark on the world.

It is hard not to put yourself in her shoes and realize how problematic such a life is. She cannot get a job, she cannot get a home, cannot make anything before it withers away, cannot keep any possessions as they always seem to disappear. Her only method of survival is stealing. The only shelter she can ever find are abandoned places. I think living such an existence would quickly drive me mad. That is no doubt what the demon is counting on. It is so unpleasant that she will surely surrender her life and he can collect her soul. But Addie is made of sterner stuff that he had counted on. We do get the sense of misery, wondering how she is even going to make it through the first few days. But she learns how to hide when she gets into trouble, learns how to steal, learns how to play the game well enough to survive.

The story zig-zags through time, one chapter set in 2014, the next during the French Revolution, and so on. Often that type of story-telling bothers me (I am a very linear person) but it works well in this story and is necessary to reveal the things that we need to learn in the order we need to learn them. Addie has been living this strange existence for 300 years before she meets someone that might possibly be a game changer.

The story was nominated for the Locus Award for best fantasy novel. It moves along at a good pace, and kept me involved throughout. It is well worth a read.

Star Liner

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