The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Published 2020 · 583 pages · 149,899 words · about 11 hours at an average pace · Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance

How hard is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to read?

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue scores 55 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 48 out of 100
Schwab employs a contemporary vocabulary, accessible to a wide audience. While some words might be unfamiliar, context generally clarifies their meaning. The language is straightforward and avoids specialized jargon, unlike Moby-Dick or Gravity's Rainbow.
Sentence structure: 45 out of 100
The sentences in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue are generally of moderate length and complexity. While there are some longer sentences with multiple clauses, they are easily navigable and do not require extensive parsing. The syntax is more direct than The Golden Bowl or In Search of Lost Time.
Abstraction: 55 out of 100
The novel balances concrete narrative with philosophical themes of memory, identity, and the meaning of life. While the story is grounded in the experiences of Addie and Henry, it also explores abstract concepts related to immortality and the nature of existence. This is less abstract than The Waste Land but more so than Atomic Habits.
Information density: 52 out of 100
The book presents a moderate amount of information per page, balancing plot progression with character development and thematic exploration. While the narrative spans centuries and explores multiple perspectives, it remains relatively focused and avoids overwhelming the reader with excessive detail. This is less dense than War and Peace but more so than The Housemaid.
Narrative indirection: 60 out of 100
The narrative relies on some degree of inference, particularly in the early sections where Addie's curse is gradually revealed. Readers must piece together the nature of her condition and the implications of her deal with Luc. However, the story also provides direct exposition, making it less reliant on inference than Pedro Paramo.
Symbolic density: 68 out of 100
The novel employs several recurring motifs and symbols, such as the oak tree, freckles, and various works of art, which carry symbolic weight. Addie's invisibility represents the struggle for recognition and the desire to leave a lasting mark. While not as densely symbolic as The Waste Land, the novel uses symbolism to enrich the narrative and explore deeper themes.
Ironic distance: 40 out of 100
The novel maintains a relatively low level of ironic distance, with the narrative largely aligning with the characters' emotions and experiences. While there are moments of subtle irony, the story primarily engages with the characters' struggles and desires in a sincere manner. This is less ironic than The Great Gatsby or Lolita.
Resolution withholding: 65 out of 100
The ending of the novel leaves some ambiguity regarding the long-term consequences of Addie and Henry's choices. While the main plot points are resolved, the future remains uncertain, inviting readers to contemplate the ongoing nature of their struggles and the potential for further challenges. This is less conclusive than Beloved but more so than 2666.
Structural complexity: 50 out of 100
The novel employs a dual timeline, alternating between Addie's past and Henry's present, which adds a layer of complexity to the narrative structure. While the timeline shifts are relatively clear, they require readers to actively connect the two storylines and understand how they inform each other. This is less complex than Midnight's Children but more so than Beach Read.

How The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is regarded

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue holds a literary regard score of 28 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

Where The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue sits in Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism

Placed by a full reading of the text (273 passages), not from reputation. Each verdict quotes the passage that earned it. On the axis from myth to irony, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue scores 35 out of 100. A second mythos, tragedy, pulls at it with a weight of 0.25. About the map of stories.

Mode: Romance
Three hundred years she’s tested the confines of her deal, found the places where it gives, the subtle bend and flex around the bars, but never a way out.
Symbol: Mythical (archetypal)
But ideas are so much wilder than memories, so much faster to take root.
Mythos: Romance iii (romance iii)
The first shot may have been fired back in Villon, when he stole her life along with her soul, but this, this, is the beginning of the war.
Genre: Romance + Novel
Title of Piece: Revenir

Where the story of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue takes place

  • Brooklyn, 2014, the main setting
  • Villon-sur-Sarthe, France, 1698-1714 (1698 to 1714)
  • A small French village, 1714
  • Paris, Europe and returns to Villon, 1714-1914 (1714 to 1914)
  • Chicago speakeasy, Los Angeles and New Orleans, 1928-1984 (1928 to 1984)
  • Occupied France prison, November 1944
  • Brooklyn and Manhattan, 2013-2016 (with London epilogue) (2013 to 2016)

6 things that are true of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, with the passage for each

  1. In the forest bargain, Adeline asks Luc for time and has no number in mind.

    I want more time.

  2. Addie names her imagined stranger Luc, and the name is ironic as it echoes Lucifer.

    As in Lucifer.

  3. On the plexiglass wall at the Artifact, Addie writes her own name and it does not fade.

    Ten letters, two words. It is no different, he thinks, from the hundred other marks they’ve made—but it is.

  4. In Chicago in 1928 Addie tells Luc she would rather be a ghost than belong to him.

    I would rather be a ghost.

  5. Henry did not sell his soul for a lifetime but for a single year.

    Not for a lifetime—for a single year.

  6. When Addie learns Henry's deadline, he says he has thirty-six days left.

    “A little more,” he says. “Thirty-six days.”

Scenes in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue that Frye would name

55 sightings of Frye's terms in the text. The strongest:

Anagnorisis, untitled
Three words, large enough to tip the world. Henry says 'I remember you', the first recognition in three centuries and the story's pivot.
Hamartia, untitled
“You want an ending,” she says. “Then take my life when I am done with it. You can have my soul when I don’t want it anymore.” The loose wording of her offer is the fatal misstep that Luc exploits for centuries.
Agon, untitled
The first shot may have been fired back in Villon, when he stole her life along with her soul, but this, this, is the beginning of the war. Addie names the long contest with Luc as war after the marquis's dinner.
Anagnorisis, untitled
Because I made one, too. The explanation for Henry's memory: he has a deal too.
Anagnorisis, untitled
I put Henry in your path. I gave him to you, wrapped and ribboned like a gift. Luc reveals that the apparent mistake was his design, and the lovers' luck was his plot.
Cognitio, untitled
“Addie.” She swallows, hard. “My name’s Addie.” She can say her name for the first time in three centuries, and a person hears and keeps it.

Books that share these scenes with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

About the author

V.E. Schwab