Previous
Part 4, Chapter 13
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. November 14, 2013. Henry is grateful that Brooklyn has so many coffee shops; he hasn’t been able to return to the Roast since his and Vanessa’s breakup. Henry has just reached the front of the line when he hears Tabitha call his name; he hasn’t seen her since their breakup. “I’ve missed you,” she tells him. He gives a vague explanation about the box of her things being burnt, but she doesn’t seem to mind—she’s only concerned that Henry didn’t get hurt in the fire. Tabitha leans into Henry. Henry wants her back, but then he remembers that none of this is real. He wants to ask Tabitha what she sees in him now, but he sees the fog in her eyes and already knows what she sees.
If anything, Henry’s deal with Luc does exactly the opposite of what Henry wanted it to. Henry wanted to feel loved and that he is “enough” for people, but the fog in Tabitha’s eyes only confirms for Henry that Henry, unfiltered, is not “enough” for Tabitha, and that she would not love him, had no supernatural forces interfered to manipulate her feelings. In short, Henry is learning that love isn’t real unless it’s chosen.
Themes
