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Book club questions for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab covers all the key topics in this epic read. There will be spoilers so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.
Ahh this story! So I liked it. I really did. But it started to lose me a bit when—spoiler—Addie and Luc’s relationship turns somewhat romantic. Or did it? I couldn’t make my mind up on that. I don’t know y’all, it was just a little TOO out there for me for Addie to hook up with the devil/god/angel. I definitely see why the author went that direction and in some ways it was kind of interesting but I also found myself cringing a bit. Maybe if we knew more about him it would have been different. I really liked Addie and Henry but I was not too convinced that Addie was truly in love with him. Still, their dynamic really stood out. I also liked the ending.
This is different from what I normally read but I overall liked it. Just had a bit of cringe at times for me!
The synopsis
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Book Club Questions for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- Let’s talk about Addie at the start of the novel. What are some of the key ways that she was ahead of her time?
- Why do you think Addie made this deal with Luc? If you could have the potential to live forever, would you take it?
- The cruel twist is that going forward, no one will remember Addie, except for Luc. What did you think about how Addie’s initial experiences with this curse? How was she able to survive?
- Did you like Addie? Was she a good protagonist to follow?
- So let’s discuss Luc in more detail. Was he a devil, angel, a god? Did you want to know more about him?
- While she goes through the absolute worst, Addie never gives in and lets Luc have her soul. What do you think kept Addie going throughout all the years?
- Addie and Luc have an interesting dynamic. When did Addie stop hating him? Did they both ever truly care for each other, or was it a matter of convenience/power?
- By the time, we get to Addie in New York in 2014, she’s adjusted to her life—she gets by through stealing and knows that all relationships are temporary. Until, she meets Henry. Let’s talk about the scene when Henry remembers her.
- Were you surprised when Henry revealed he made the deal with Luc too or did you figure it out earlier?
- While Addie wants a life of adventure, Henry desires love. But his is also a curse because everyone is under a spell and not actually seeing Henry for who he is. Which “curse” do you think is better or worse?
- Do you think Henry and Addie were truly in love? Or were they bonded by their circumstances?
- Henry has only a year to live. But Addie makes a deal with Luc to keep Henry alive. Let’s discuss this turn of events.
- What did you think about the ending? What will happen between Addie and Luc? Will she ever break free?
More recommendations
Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I loved The Midnight Library by Matt Haig—one of my favorites of the year!
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult is another great choice for book clubs.
Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
Happy reading!
