“A girl is running for her life.”

This book is about a girl making a deal with the devil to live forever, but no one will remember her.

Addie LaRue is a young woman from France, who feels her life is just flying by. She wants more for her life. She wants to explore the world, experience music, make more out of her life. But Addie is confined to her small town in France and a marriage she does not want. On the night of her wedding, she runs away and makes a Faustian bargain. Addie can live forever, but everyone she ever meets will forget her.

“And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.” – Estele Magritte.

An old woman at the edge of town sparks Adeline’s fascination with the old gods, not the catholic god her village worships. You offer the gods something you love, and they may choose to listen and answer your prayers. But they may not.

Addie has tried and tried to get help from the gods, during the day, but to no avail. When she runs away, the sun is setting, and she accidentally prays after dark. But her prayers are answered before she realizes she messed up.

The story switches between different timelines. One timeline is slowly progressing through her life after she made that bargain in July 1714. Addie lives through the world’s history and experiences many cultures and lifestyles. And she cannot die. She can go without the necessities of life and not die. It was part of her bargain.

Addie loved, she hurt, she suffered, she is neglected, abandoned, abused. She lived like a fugitive in people’s houses, learning to be a skilled thief. Mostly at each anniversary of the day of the bargain, she meets with Luc who wants her to obey and surrender to him completely by giving him her soul.

The god she calls Luc tries to get her to give him her soul by making her feel lonely. She can’t leave marks on the world the same way the world can’t harm her. No one can remember her except, of course, Luc.

The other timeline is in 2014 where she meets Henry.

Henry feels he’s a failure. He has tried many majors but he hasn’t found anything he truly enjoys. He works at a hidden bookstore where he meets Addie trying to steal a book. Later when she comes back, Henry remembers her.

I love this book. The emotions I felt reading this were deep. The emotions Addie and Henry felt were so relatable and it pulls on your heartstrings. There are no words to describe this book other than it’s a masterpiece.

This book ends with a twist you wouldn’t expect. Everything falls into place whether it be good or bad.