Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory and Meaning
Love and Vulnerability
Freedom
Art, Creativity, and Expression
Wonder and Knowledge
Summary
Analysis
Brooklyn, New York. March 13, 2015. Bea finishes reading Henry’s manuscript for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and cries out in frustration: he can’t end the story that way! Would Addie really go with Luc? Henry doesn’t know how to answer Bea’s question. He’s written so many alternate endings. In some versions, Addie is happy. In others, she’s not. Regardless, anything he writes after that final kiss they shared won’t be her story. Henry is glad to have the manuscript finished because he’s already starting to forget Addie. It’s not part of her curse—it’s just the way details always fade with time.
Henry’s decision not to impose a more concrete, satisfying ending onto Addie’s story reflects his genuine love for her: unlike Luc, Henry has no desire to control Addie and shape her life into something he can possess and control. Henry’s decision also honors a key aspect of Addie’s character: her appreciation for life’s uncertainties and sustained sense of wonder about the world.
Themes
Henry will get an agent. And he’ll insist that only one name is on the book’s cover—and that name isn’t his. The publishing world will agree to this, thinking it’s part of a clever marketing scheme. But Henry will beam at the thought of so many people reading her name: “Addie, Addie, Addie.” The advance Henry receives is large enough to pay off his student loans. Finally, he has enough stability to pause for a moment and think about what he wants to do next. He wants to do and see as much as he can.
Henry’s decision not to include his name on the book’s cover is further proof of his genuine love for Addie. The novel isn’t his selfish attempt to control Addie’s image or take ownership of his life; rather, it’s a selfless effort to make good on his promise never to forget her, and to help her make her mark on the world as she always wanted—but was never able—to do on her own.
Themes
