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

 

Characters
Addie - July 29, 1714 - 2014	Henry – September 4, 2013 - 2014
1714 Adeline “Addie” LaRue Mother and Father – woodcarver, carved Addie’s wooden ring used to call Luc Estelle – neighbor Isabelle – friend   “The Darkness” – Lucifer, Luc – visited Addie on anniversary many years Deal – more time, a life of freedom, he can have her soul when she doesn’t want it any more   1724 Remy Laurent – met Addie when she was disguised as a man   1751 Madame Geoffrin – invited Addie to her salon Remy Laurent   1806, Venice – Matteo, artist   2014 – Toby Marsh – song writer and singer	Henry Strauss David – brother, doctor Muriel - sister   Deal with Lucifer – wants to be loved, wants to be enough, deal only for one year
March 10, 2014 – September 5, 2014
Addie   Henry   Luc, Lucifer   The Last Word Bookstore Bea – works in store, graduate student “Book” - cat   Robbie - actor

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the special edition of the hardback.

1.       Discuss how the devil was depicted in the novel. 

2.       In 2014, Luc tells Addie to pick someone at random to take Henry’s place and she does.   Would she have done this earlier in her life?  How has she changed over the 300 years?

3.       Many real people were mentioned in the book – Beethoven, Sinatra, Joan of Arc.   He told Addie he had made a deal with Joan of Arc, “A soul for a blessed sword, so that she could not be struck down” (page 351). Was the author implying that the other famous people had made a deal with the devil?

4.       The author used the work palimpsest (pal-imp-sest) several times.  The meaning given in the novel  is “the idea of the past blotted out, written over by the present” (page 78).  Did you ever hear the word before?  How does it apply to Addie’s life as well as others in the novel?

5.       Of the various things Addie could or could not do – lie but not tell the truth, say her name, never be remembered by anyone she met, never age, never have any long-lasting injuries – which do you think would be the hardest to adapt to?

6.       Addie is never able to say her name or tell it to anyone.  How important is being recognized by our name? 

7.       Do you think the book has a deeper message that just a creative fiction story?  For example, Addie describes human love to Luc as “It was messy.  It was hard.  It was wonderful, and strange, and frightening, and fragile – so fragile it hurt – and worth every single moment” (page 427).

8.       Also, Addie has a conversation with Remy in 1724 about value in life.  She asks him, “Do you think a life has any value if one doesn’t leave some mark upon the world?” and he answers, “’There are many ways to matter’…These are the words of a man – Voltaire.  But they are also the hands that set the type” (page 179).

9.       In in same vein, in December 2013, Bea has a conversation with Henry about what is happiness.  He asks her, “is it just feeling happy for no reason?   Or is it making other people happy?  Is it being happy with your job, or your life, or-” and she replies, “I guess I just mean I’d want to be happy with myself.  Satisfied” (page 290).  How do you think each character would define happiness?

10.   The special edition of the book contained seven pictures and descriptions of artwork influenced by Addie over the years including a song released in 2014 by Toby Marsh that Addie played for him. If your book did not contain these, do you think they would have added to your reading experience and enhanced their importance?

11.   Discuss your reading experience.  Did you find the format hard to follow or not?