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Part 4, Chapter 4
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. September 5, 2013. Henry wakes up to the sound of morning traffic. His head is throbbing. He tries to remember last night. He remembers Tabitha’s rejection, and he remembers his conversation with the stranger—but he assumes that he has imagined the latter. That’s when he sees the elegant watch on his wrist. Henry doesn’t wear a watch. Henry takes it off and examines it. “Live well” is engraved on its underside. He remembers the stranger’s “deal.” Could this have really happened?
This scene reveals the origins of Henry’s watch: it’s from the stranger, intended to keep Henry mindful of how much time he has left before it’s time to relinquish his soul. These flashbacks to Henry’s past help contextualize his anxieties about wasting time and not knowing what he wants out of life; his freedom to explore all his options is bound by the constraint of time the deal with Luc has imposed on him.
Themes
Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door; it’s Muriel. Henry asks what Muriel is doing here, and she scoffs; does family need a reason to drop by? She tells Henry he’s looking good, which Henry knows can’t possibly be true. Muriel says she wanted to check on Henry; Bea texted her to give her the heads up about Tabitha last night. Muriel tells Henry not to worry about the breakup; he can do much better than Tabitha, anyway. Muriel tells Henry to hang in there and that she’ll see him for Yom Kippur. Then she leaves.
Henry’s surprise at Muriel’s unplanned visit suggests that she doesn’t often do this—or that, in general, Henry’s family isn’t all that affectionate or concerned about his wellbeing. Already, it seems that Luc’s deal is working, forcing everyone in Henry’s life to love and pay attention to him. But does this affection count if it's not voluntary? Can a person want to be with a person if they’re forced to be with a person?
Themes
His head still throbbing, Henry heads to Roast, a coffeeshop near his apartment. Vanessa, a beautiful blonde barista, is working there. Normally, she doesn’t give Henry a second glance. But today, she can’t take her eyes off him and even initiates small talk. And when Henry picks up his order, he finds that Vanessa has written her name and number on the cup.
Knowing about Henry’s curse allows the reader to view all of the attention that strangers lavish on Henry through more discerning, knowing eyes. People like Vanessa aren’t drawn to Henry because of Henry himself—they’re drawn to Henry because Luc’s curse compels them to be drawn to Henry.
Themes
Henry heads to The Last Word to open the shop. An older woman enters the store sometime later and asks Henry if he can help her remember the title of a book she has in mind. Vaguely, she describes it as being “about life and death, and history,” and the cover had a rose on it. Henry randomly offers her Wolf Hall, though he knows this can’t be what the woman is talking about. Nevertheless, the woman ecstatically announces, “That’s it!” and grins at Henry. Henry is puzzled. Then he realizes that the woman must actually be thinking of Life After Life, by Atkinson. He grabs a copy and asks the woman if it’s the right book. “Yes!” she cries, just as delighted as before.
This scene with the woman who, due to Luc’s enchantment, is seemingly willing to be excited about whatever book Henry gives her, even if it’s not the one she asked for, helps to unpack what’s so troubling about Henry’s deal/curse with Luc. The issue is that this woman, like everyone else, isn’t actually responding to Henry: she’s simply acting out a part that Henry’s deal/curse has forced her into: she’s not acting of her own volition, nor in response to anything Henry has said or done—her positive view of Henry, in other words, is coerced.
Themes
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The rest of Henry’s day is just as strange. It feels like April Fool’s Day to Henry. Then Robbie comes in, throwing his arm around Henry. Henry notes an odd “shining” quality to Robbie’s eyes. He’s also overly affectionate and sympathetic about Henry’s breakup. Bea trails in after Robbie.
The “shining” quality to Robbie’s eyes reaffirms the troubling reality that nobody in Henry’s new, post-deal life genuinely wants or loves Henry: Luc’s power has simply enchanted them to love and want Henry. At this point, Henry appears more perplexed by this new attention than disturbed, but the reader knows that, in time, the appeal wears off as Henry understands that forced love isn’t the same as genuine love.
Themes
Then Henry’s friends bring up Henry’s breakup. Robbie leaves to fetch the secret whisky that Meredith keeps in back, and Bea tells Henry how happy she is that Henry broke up with Tabitha. Henry tries to correct Bea, explaining that Tabitha broke up with him, but Bea won’t listen. Henry hears the stranger’s words in his head: “You want to be loved. You want to be enough.” Robbie returns with the whisky and three mugs. Then he flips around the OPEN sign, sits down between Henry and Bea, and uncorks the bottle. “To new beginnings,” says Robbie, his eyes still shining.
As Henry remembers the stranger’s/Luc’s words to him, his friends’ over-eagerness to support Henry post-breakup clicks: he understands that he’s gotten exactly what he’s asked for. At this point, Henry takes in Bea and Robbie’s affection rather gratefully. He’s yet to understand that forcing a person to love and support him isn’t the same as experiencing love and support that others give voluntarily—the coercion degrades and counteracts love and affection.
Themes
