I have a hearing loss in my left ear, but (for very real and very stubborn reasons) I don’t wear a hearing aid, which creates some truly masterful socially awkward opportunities.  Just the other day, I was enjoying the last of my eggs and toast at the diner my husband and I enjoy sneaking off to on Saturday mornings, and the server told me she liked my sundress.  And of course, I replied, “it was all so yummy, thanks!”  Even if you hear at superhero levels, you’ve no doubt felt the pain of wishing you could have a second chance at something in your life—from a poorly timed joke, to a badly chosen one night stand—we’ve all been there (except for me, since I’d never understand the pick-up line—“I don’t want a duck, but thanks!”).  Addie LaRue, however, has not.

For reasons you’ll learn about in the book, Addie lives to be 300 years old, having sold her soul for the privilege.  But of course, there’s a catch, and this one is that everyone Addie meets, immediately forgets her, once she’s out of their sight.  Any embarrassing moments Addie experiences are wiped clean within moments, which might sound wonderful to some of us, but it also means Addie can never make a friend, have a home, or fall in love.  Until…yes there’s a man who DOES remember Addie (this is on the back cover, not a spoiler), and his story is, at first, a bit boring (my opinion), but he has a scene near the end that literally had me in tears.

But I’m forgetting the most important character whose name is Book and who lives at the bookstore.  Book gets to wander among the shelves every day and curl up next to the books every night, and yes, I am very jealous of the cat in this novel.

Read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue if you’ve ever wondered what it REALLY might be like to live forever.  Read it for Schwab’s take on what is truly important in life, after everything else is stripped away.  And read it for the cat, Book, who really should have gotten more pets.

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