The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by VE Schwab --- Being Seen When None Remember

 

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is a book that you don't forget.  The tale traverses lifetimes and places and speaks to the heart's wishes.  It is a story of a woman's struggle to be seen in a world where she is never remembered and unvalued.  

When a young girl deals with a stranger to leave her small village and be as if she never existed, the consequences are not as Addie would have hoped.  The phrase careful what you wish for because you may get it, rings true to this story.  In exchange for gaining her wish, the stranger requests her companionship.  Addie refuses.

What unfolds is a young woman making her way in a world where she is friendless, has no home, and everyone she knew is gone.  Throughout it all, Addie does what it takes to survive.  

The most profound part of Addie's journey is not the degrading situations she endures but that no one ever remembers her.  History never remembers Addie; her life is without purpose or impact.  The book's triumph is that despite her invisibility, Addie finds a way to be seen.  

Sharyn O'Halloran