By Savannah Johnson, Part-Time Tutor
October 4, 2023

There is a magic in words. A transformative power that leaves you breathless and aching for more. There are stories, composed of magical words, that leave you feeling as though something in you has irrevocably changed. And in stories we find a connection to distant lands, to people and places we never knew. One such tale that captures the all-encompassing magic of literature is Addie’s story. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, is a tale like no other. Magical in a way that I have never known in my decades of being a reader.

Centered around the titular character, the story weaves a line through time and history as Addie makes a deal with a god who answers her prayers after dark. Never pray to the gods that answer after dark. Freedom in exchange for immortality. And so begins a three-hundred year journey. The caveat? She perils through this journey alone, as she is forgotten by everyone she encounters. Cursed to never be remembered. Acquaintances, friends, and even lovers, all forget her by daybreak. Though often, it takes less time than that. An exit to another room, a turned head where she is out of eyesight, and all traces of Addie evaporate from memory. Yet Addie remains. Through art, literature, and romance, Addie attempts to leave her mark on the world where she is very much forgotten and alone– save for the torment she endures from the god who answered her after dark. And he is not quite a god. Yet he is the only one who knows Addie. Who does not forget.

That is, until Addie meets Henry. Or rather, Addie thinks Henry forgets her and knocks Addie’s world off its axis. “I remember you.” An encounter on a spring day in New York City, and suddenly the path that Addie has wandered through countless cities, during times of war and heartbreak, is one she no longer treads alone. We learn about Henry, and the choices he has made in his life that has put him in the same time, same place as Addie. Most importantly though, now Addie is forced to confront what life would look like when someone remembers. After years of being forgotten, can life be lived as she often dreams it to be?

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a novel that will stay with you long after the last word is read, the cover is closed, and the tale is told. It is a magical story that rightfully deserves its place in the heart and soul of all those who are willing to read about our enigmatic, effervescent Addie. A girl who despite the love, the loss, the fear, and pain of existing, defies the world around her and continues to keep living. To keep dreaming despite thinking hers is a life no one will ever remember. Addie LaRue may have been forgotten by so many people, but the magic of this story never will be. Thank you, Addie.

I remember you.