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Part 2, Chapter 8
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
New York City. March 13, 2014. Addie waits for an hour until Henry closes the shop, then she and Henry leave to get coffee. Henry lets Addie lead the way. Addie observes Henry as he walks. He’s thinner and weaker than her stranger, but the resemblance is still there. They reach a coffee shop, and Addie grimaces when the total comes to $3.80—she can’t pay for two drinks, and she can’t steal them, either, since Henry will know. She returns with only Henry’s order, explaining that she doesn’t have money for a second because she lost her wallet. Henry feels like a jerk drinking alone and, despite Addie’s protests, buys her a drink.
This isn’t the first time that Addie has compared Henry to her stranger, so it’s a detail worth noting moving forward. Is there some connection between the stranger and Henry? Might the stranger have placed Henry in Addie’s path? All of this is mere conjecture at this point, but it’s worth considering as the plot develops. Also note: Addie’s freedom is already limited by Henry’s appearance in her life, as she can no longer resort to stealing as she could when she could rest assured that nobody would remember her once she left the room.
Themes
Henry returns to the table and asks Addie about the book. Had she really thought he wouldn’t remember her? His shop doesn’t get many customers, and Addie’s attempted theft left quite “an impression” on him. Addie’s ears perk up at this, as “[a]n impression is like a mark.” A man accidentally bumps into Henry, nearly spilling Henry’s coffee. He apologizes profusely. When the man leaves, Addie remarks on how intensely the man apologized. Henry shrugs it off. He asks Addie what she does, and Addie lies and says that she’s a talent scout who mostly deals in art.
Again, Henry’s otherwise innocuous choice of words, in stating that Addie left quite “an impression on him,” end up being highly significant to Addie, who has tried—and failed—to leave “an impression” on the world for the past 300 years. Another odd detail in this scene is the way the man overenthusiastically apologizes to Henry for bumping into him—Henry, for being such an unremarkable person, seems to have quite an effect on people, and it’s not clear why this is so.
Themes
They talk some more, and then Henry observes that Addie’s “freckles look like stars.” Addie says that everyone notices this about her. Henry asks what Addie sees when she looks at him. Addie says she sees “a boy with dark hair and kind eyes and an open face.” Henry is disappointed; is that all? Addie pauses. Then she continues. In Henry, she sees someone who cares too much—someone who is lost and confused and feels that “they’re wasting away in a world full of food, because they can’t decide what they want.” Henry stares at Addie. Then he smiles with his mouth—but his eyes remain serious. He invites Addie to grab food, and she accepts. They hold hands as they walk.
It's interesting that, though Addie can’t leave her mark on the world, various people—including Sam and Henry—end up making the same observation about Addie: that her “freckles look like stars.” This suggests, perhaps, that ideas and interpretations are stronger than memory and beyond the darkness’s ability to control. Also note that Henry seems quite taken with Addie’s frank, not necessarily flattering observation of him. It seems as though most everyone in his life seems to do nothing but gush over him—something most people would want—and yet it’s Addie’s honesty that impresses Henry. It’s not totally clear why this is so, but it's worth noting as the plot continues to unfold.
Themes
