A girl can dream- she can dream of visiting different places, meeting new set of people and having a better life. But what if while chasing these dreams, she has to make a deal and then keep that bargain going on for more than 300 years. Curios enough? Then read on.
The story of Adeline LaRue begins in 1714 when at age of 23, she is asked to marry a widower by her parents. An old (unmarried) maid in those times, her parents had to accept whatever proposal comes their way for their beloved Addie. She being the only daughter of a carpenter father and housewife mother in rural France in mid 18th century; there is hardly any other way that her life can be spent. Addie will have to go through the same set of life’s milestones as the countless girls before her and even what her contemporaries are going through at the moment. But Addie wants more, she wants to visit the big cities, meet new people, make a name for herself and be remembered for her achievements.
However, all these dreams are not achievable in Addie’s circumstances. So she takes help of Estelle for worshipping the old Gods as the new One which her parents are offering their prayers every Sunday is certainly not listening to her pleas. She takes her faiths seriously enough and tries to picture a dream knight who will one day save her from the unwanted life. But then the dreaded day of her wedding approaches and Addie has no choice but to make a deal with the Dark itself to follow her dream life.
She keeps this bargain going on for next 300 years by making sure of not surrendering at the cost of her life. The Dark taken form of Luc as conjured up from her youthful imagination, ensures to remind her about what she has asked for, every step of the way. He mocks, taunts, ridicules and even brands her as a thief in order to break her, so that she will surrender her soul to him. But with every jeer, difficulties thrown in her path and dark twisted ways of Luc to bend her, she becomes more stubborn. This is evident on their ‘anniversary’ celebrations on 29th July every year.
And then comes Henry Strauss. She thinks she has met him by pure accident and he is the only one in 300 plus years who could see the real Addie. What’s the most special thing about him is that he remembers her because her so called deal with Luc specifies that nobody will ever remember her after one encounter. How and why Henry Strauss can remember her? Are they really in love with each other? And then what happens to the cursed life of Addie LaRue? For answers to all these questions, it’s interesting to rush through the last few chapters.
The novel see-saws between Addie’s past and present, the narratives linking events from her past at a particular place on/ during a particular time vis-a-vis her current times in New York. The curse of putting a door between her and the world so that they won’t remember brings opportunities to her ways but brings heartaches too. As Addie says after 300 years of playing this game of invisibility, of going from one day to the next, living in the seconds, she is very tired. But she still persists and does not wish to surender to Luc at any cost. Her eternal dance with Luc, their encounters and bargains keep the readers hooked till the very end.
Even though, I am not a particular fan of fantasy fiction; what kept me glued to the book was the writing style. The way writer makes this story universally applicable of one girl struggling for her dreams which surely resonates with readers worldwide. In my case, I heard this as an audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan and her rendition of the original work as a voice artist is absolutely praise worthy. Nevertheless whichever format you chose from, this book is certainly worth your time. Happy reading!!