Cover of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

by V. E. Schwab


Genre
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Year
2020
Pages
489
Contents

Part Three: Three Hundred Years—and Three Words — Chapter VII

Overview

Addie experiences an unfamiliar morning-after: Henry remembers her, makes breakfast, and casually speaks of tomorrow, but Addie can’t trust the miracle and fears Luc’s hand behind it. A mishandled touch of Addie’s wooden ring triggers a sharp, ominous reaction, while Henry reveals his own complicated history through a broken Star of David pendant.

Before Henry leaves for work, the two arrange a definite second meeting at a Prospect Park food truck rally, giving Addie a rare future to aim for. Alone, Addie searches Henry’s apartment for clues and discovers signs of depression or illness—medications, a bloodied handkerchief, and a hidden engagement ring—deepening the mystery of why Henry can remember her.

Summary

Addie wakes in Henry’s apartment to the smell of breakfast and the shock of a morning that continues: Henry greets her with a simple “Good morning,” remembers her, and has even dried her rain-soaked clothes. Addie tries to hold on to the feeling of being known, choosing a mug from Henry’s wall of mismatched cups while the word tomorrow lands in her chest like a promise.

The calm breaks when Henry finds Addie’s wooden ring on the floor and tries to hand it back. Addie snatches it away and reacts as if burned, realizing she must have touched the inside without putting it on, even in full daylight. Trying to explain the contradiction without revealing the curse, Addie calls it a relic from her father; Henry, in turn, quietly shows a broken Star of David pendant and admits, “I was” Jewish, signaling a complicated past and a shared sense of loss.

Over breakfast, Addie’s hope thins into suspicion as she wonders whether Henry remembering her is luck, madness, or a trap engineered by Luc to break her resistance. Their conversation turns into a set of personal questions—food, seasons, and finally whether it is better to feel nothing or everything—until Henry abruptly checks the time and has to leave for work, dodging the last question.

Addie prepares to go too, improvising a “normal” life she does not have, but Henry stops her and insists he wants to see her again. With no phone number to exchange, they set a concrete plan: a food truck rally in Prospect Park at six. Henry leaves, and for once the closing door feels like continuation rather than abandonment.

After a shower, Addie wanders Henry’s apartment, studying the clutter of abandoned hobbies, cameras, photographs, and an eclectic spread of books that suggest his restlessness and sadness. The curse asserts itself when Addie tries to use Henry’s laptop: it boots, but she cannot move the cursor or make it respond. Searching for answers about who Henry is, Addie finds prescriptions, a vial of pink pills labeled with a tiny umbrella, blank notebooks, intimate photos of Henry with Robbie, a stopped watch, and finally a bloodstained handkerchief hiding a diamond engagement ring—evidence of a life and entanglements that brought Henry to this moment.

Who Appears

  • Addie LaRue
    Wakes to being remembered; hides curse signs; investigates Henry’s apartment for answers.
  • Henry Strauss
    Remembers Addie; makes breakfast; shares a broken Star of David; sets a second date.
  • Luc
    Absent but looming; Addie fears Henry’s memory is Luc’s trap or leverage.
  • Beatrice (Bea)
    Seen in Henry’s photographs; appears as close friend tied to Henry’s social world.
  • Robbie
    Appears in photos with Bea and Henry; intimate image hints at past relationship dynamics.
  • Remy
    Briefly recalled through Addie’s memory of Paris coffee and heartbreak.
  • Addie’s father
    Referenced through the wooden ring Addie claims belonged to him.
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