THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a genre-bending mix of romance, historical fiction, and magical realism, all swirling around together in this wildly popular book. In it, teenage Adeline of 17th century France is on the precipice of a forced marriage older man she doesn’t love. Her means of escape is a Faustian bargain with the darkness: a handsome, mysterious stranger she conjures to rescue her, but for a steep price. This choice propels Addie toward a life lived indefinitely, and “invisibly” all the way to present day NYC, where nobody who comes in contact with Addie remembers her afterwards.

I always try to write reviews that are both positive and honest. The honest part is that - with apologies to the legions of Addie fans - this book was a miss for me. That said, it is definitely outside my usual fiction zone and maybe I should just stay in my literary lane next time! On the positive side, I loved the message that we must think hard about the mark we want to make on the world, and the urgency with which we must leave it. Whether we have unlimited time, or very little at all, how do we want to make an impact, rather than merely exist? The notion of time as expansive, pliable, abbreviated, and all encompassing was thought provoking and powerful. NOTE: I want to recommend Dara Horn’s novel Eternal Life from a few years ago, a masterful, intriguing and highly entertaining take on a similar premise.

This book had some fun Brooklyn food truck eats. But friends, I am in the midst of a major smoothie marathon. January is about renewal and my eating needed a healthy reset after the holidays. Addie had a chance to start fresh pretty much every day - well, here is mine. (Is that a stretch?) Pictured here are berry, mango and blueberry smoothies along with my current obsession, @smart_harvest greens.