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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I came across this book while browsing the internet for spooky or strange reads. I’ve been in a mood for weird books lately, so I decided to give The Changeling a go after wrapping up White is for Witching and Melmoth. I liked this book overall. I think LaValle writes well, using quick and engaging prose while also effectively deploying the slow-burn mystery. The only reason why I didn’t rate this book higher was because the plot in general didn’t stand out for me - not that it needed to be more laden with fairy lore or more supernatural spookiness. I just personally enjoy more of a driving plot. Your own mileage may vary.
Things I Liked
1. Slow Burn: The central mystery or conflict is very understated for the first 2/3 of the book, so that the weird things that happen don’t feel like huge revelations so much as thorns in the reader’s side. LaValle does the slow burn very well - when things happen that aren’t directly plot-related, they tell us something about the environment/atmosphere or the characters. So, even when “nothing happens,” something is happening to tell us how NYC looks and feels or how Apollo thinks or how the supernatural and natural worlds fit together.
2. Defying Genre: I really liked that this book didn’t feel like it fell squarely in the fantasy or horror genres. Instead, it relied on tone and atmosphere to create feelings of uncertainty and unsettle the reader. For example, Emma receives photos on her phone of her husband and son that appear to be taken at impossible angles or moments. They didn’t feel threatening in that they were clearly malicious in their intent. Instead, they were just weird and unexplained - and I liked how LaValle uses the unknown to facilitate discomfort and drive the mystery forward without relying on dramatic plot twists. I also liked that LaValle created enough uncertainty in the characters so that when something happened, it was unclear if the reason was supernatural or if a character’s perception was unreliable. For example, I was on the fence for a long time as to whether something was actually wrong with Brian or if something was wrong with Emma.
3. Fairy Tale Influence: A lot of this book is indebted to the classic fairy tale genre in the way characters act and the way it lacks a strong moral lesson (but one can still be found if you look). I also loved that despite drawing on figures from fairy lore or Scandinavian lore, it wasn’t a fairy/Norse book. I’ve been burned by books with those themes, so this novel was a relief.
4. Role of Social Media: Without spoiling anything, I will say that I liked LaValle’s spin on social media and how it complicates the lore of inviting supernatural creatures into the home. That was a nice commentary.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Plot: Despite loving the slow-burn, the actual plot itself didn’t stand out to me. No event really stood out in my mind, and I found myself remembering characters more than events. While not inherently bad, I just personally prefer a balance.
2. Apollo’s Motivations: Apollo will occasionally act in ways that seem non-nonsensical or misguided. While I do prefer characters that aren’t 100% logical, some of the ways in which Apollo acts were baffling. I’m thinking, for example, when he goes to the library after Emma’s “horrific act.”
3. Lillian and Brian: Apollo’s parents’ story isn’t as compelling as I wanted it to be. It felt shoved-in, or something of an afterthought, not wholly woven into the story. Lillian likewise seemed to pop up at random times, serving as a supporting character to Apollo’s story rather than a character on her own. I would have liked to see Brian’s story as more thematically connected to the plot beyond the surface-level connection of disappearance.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in fairy tales, changelings, missing children stories, books/bookselling, and atmospheric literature.
Things I Liked
1. Slow Burn: The central mystery or conflict is very understated for the first 2/3 of the book, so that the weird things that happen don’t feel like huge revelations so much as thorns in the reader’s side. LaValle does the slow burn very well - when things happen that aren’t directly plot-related, they tell us something about the environment/atmosphere or the characters. So, even when “nothing happens,” something is happening to tell us how NYC looks and feels or how Apollo thinks or how the supernatural and natural worlds fit together.
2. Defying Genre: I really liked that this book didn’t feel like it fell squarely in the fantasy or horror genres. Instead, it relied on tone and atmosphere to create feelings of uncertainty and unsettle the reader. For example, Emma receives photos on her phone of her husband and son that appear to be taken at impossible angles or moments. They didn’t feel threatening in that they were clearly malicious in their intent. Instead, they were just weird and unexplained - and I liked how LaValle uses the unknown to facilitate discomfort and drive the mystery forward without relying on dramatic plot twists. I also liked that LaValle created enough uncertainty in the characters so that when something happened, it was unclear if the reason was supernatural or if a character’s perception was unreliable. For example, I was on the fence for a long time as to whether something was actually wrong with Brian or if something was wrong with Emma.
3. Fairy Tale Influence: A lot of this book is indebted to the classic fairy tale genre in the way characters act and the way it lacks a strong moral lesson (but one can still be found if you look). I also loved that despite drawing on figures from fairy lore or Scandinavian lore, it wasn’t a fairy/Norse book. I’ve been burned by books with those themes, so this novel was a relief.
4. Role of Social Media: Without spoiling anything, I will say that I liked LaValle’s spin on social media and how it complicates the lore of inviting supernatural creatures into the home. That was a nice commentary.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Plot: Despite loving the slow-burn, the actual plot itself didn’t stand out to me. No event really stood out in my mind, and I found myself remembering characters more than events. While not inherently bad, I just personally prefer a balance.
2. Apollo’s Motivations: Apollo will occasionally act in ways that seem non-nonsensical or misguided. While I do prefer characters that aren’t 100% logical, some of the ways in which Apollo acts were baffling. I’m thinking, for example, when he goes to the library after Emma’s “horrific act.”
3. Lillian and Brian: Apollo’s parents’ story isn’t as compelling as I wanted it to be. It felt shoved-in, or something of an afterthought, not wholly woven into the story. Lillian likewise seemed to pop up at random times, serving as a supporting character to Apollo’s story rather than a character on her own. I would have liked to see Brian’s story as more thematically connected to the plot beyond the surface-level connection of disappearance.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in fairy tales, changelings, missing children stories, books/bookselling, and atmospheric literature.
Note: I listened to this one, read by the author. I usually try to listen at about 1.6 speed, and his voice was very clear and pleasant at that speed.
I. Loved. This. Not the whole thing - about halfway through I felt like I was really forcing myself through it. I thought I knew where it was going and so it was starting to feel tedious, but I was wrong. There are so many levels going on with this story, and although I found myself continually surprised with turns of events, it never felt like they were twists for twist's sake.
Can't wait to check out other works.
I. Loved. This. Not the whole thing - about halfway through I felt like I was really forcing myself through it. I thought I knew where it was going and so it was starting to feel tedious, but I was wrong. There are so many levels going on with this story, and although I found myself continually surprised with turns of events, it never felt like they were twists for twist's sake.
Can't wait to check out other works.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this all in one gulp. It was so engrossing. Really dark. Really mythic. Different from what I had expected, but I definitely enjoyed it a lot.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is as cynical as it is poignant, and as grim as it is loving, and it's hard to put a point on whether the experience is a positive or negative one. Nothing is sacred, and nothing is left unsullied. Friendships, relationships, parenthood, childhood, and every gap thereof is full of weeds and dirt to pick at and display.
If you're looking for something magical, this isn't it. If you're looking for something that ambles along the line of surreality and harsh realism, this is a story for you. If you're the sort of person who finds themself longing for more of the darkest, grimiest, and most forlornly beautiful portions of American Gods, this is the book for you.
But don't expect the break from those things that Neil Gaiman gives you, this is a story as bleak as history, and as much about the horror of the future as it is about the foundation that that present future is built upon.
If originality is your prime metric for whether you'll like a book, this has that. Whether or not the originality carries the book or not is subject to debate, but the experience was worth it for me.
It's unlike anything I've read for a good minute, and as a whole it stands apart from anything I would have read, but it's a beautiful rendition of that.
Ironically, this book includes several portions dedicated to the last book I finished, To Kill A Mockingbird, and unironically, it seems that the author was in a similar, albeit darker, mood. Race, sex/gender, and class inequality surround the story, but aren't the subject of it, necessarily.
If you're looking for something magical, this isn't it. If you're looking for something that ambles along the line of surreality and harsh realism, this is a story for you. If you're the sort of person who finds themself longing for more of the darkest, grimiest, and most forlornly beautiful portions of American Gods, this is the book for you.
But don't expect the break from those things that Neil Gaiman gives you, this is a story as bleak as history, and as much about the horror of the future as it is about the foundation that that present future is built upon.
If originality is your prime metric for whether you'll like a book, this has that. Whether or not the originality carries the book or not is subject to debate, but the experience was worth it for me.
It's unlike anything I've read for a good minute, and as a whole it stands apart from anything I would have read, but it's a beautiful rendition of that.
Ironically, this book includes several portions dedicated to the last book I finished, To Kill A Mockingbird, and unironically, it seems that the author was in a similar, albeit darker, mood. Race, sex/gender, and class inequality surround the story, but aren't the subject of it, necessarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Minor: Infertility, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
There are people out there, and I bet you know at least one, who believe that fantasy fiction is simply genre fiction. That it is, to borrow a phrase that appears in movie reviews by people who do not read or watch fantasy very often, little more than magic and Morris men. (I've only ever seen Morris Men in Terry Pratchett, btw). These people are stupid. But you knew that. What you should do is direct them to this book.
LaValle's novel is on one level about marriage, about parenthood (fatherhood in particular), race, and class. It is an example of literature, of pointed societal conversation, of a love of books. On the surface the story is about Apollo and how he becomes a man and eventually a father. It takes a bit for the plot (and title of the novel) to kick in, but when it does, it does. The build up is, in fact, excellent writing. Reminded me a bit of James Baldwin.
When the title takes hold, the book becomes literature and good fantasy. LaValle does not disregard or drop the issues that he raises in the beginning but incorporates them in the fantasy narrative, which is what good and excellent fantasy does. Apollo's pain and uncertainty as he struggles to find meaning or sense out of what has happened are real, are heart rending.
Seriously, just read it.
LaValle's novel is on one level about marriage, about parenthood (fatherhood in particular), race, and class. It is an example of literature, of pointed societal conversation, of a love of books. On the surface the story is about Apollo and how he becomes a man and eventually a father. It takes a bit for the plot (and title of the novel) to kick in, but when it does, it does. The build up is, in fact, excellent writing. Reminded me a bit of James Baldwin.
When the title takes hold, the book becomes literature and good fantasy. LaValle does not disregard or drop the issues that he raises in the beginning but incorporates them in the fantasy narrative, which is what good and excellent fantasy does. Apollo's pain and uncertainty as he struggles to find meaning or sense out of what has happened are real, are heart rending.
Seriously, just read it.
Yowza. I read the beginning of this book and didn't like the voice, though I couldn't put my finger on why. I felt like the prose was mechanical, stilted. Then I knew I was about to lose the ebook (library loan) and I thought, eh. Then I decided to keep reading, because, as a good little library-loving girl, I don't waste library books. Then BAM.
The reason the voice is so stilted in the beginning is that it's a fairy tale. And this book has a love/hate thing with fairy tales. When you think about it, when we tell fairy tales, we seldom embellish, or weave beautiful language into it. It's a story. Plot is all, especially when a moral is included. And Apollo's story starts and ends with a fairy tale.
Never this week did I think I'd end my week with a rollicking tale of used books, Baby Bjorns, matricide, a boiled sheep's head, a huge troll, and an exceedingly important App Store purchase. Whoooooeee.
The reason the voice is so stilted in the beginning is that it's a fairy tale. And this book has a love/hate thing with fairy tales. When you think about it, when we tell fairy tales, we seldom embellish, or weave beautiful language into it. It's a story. Plot is all, especially when a moral is included. And Apollo's story starts and ends with a fairy tale.
Never this week did I think I'd end my week with a rollicking tale of used books, Baby Bjorns, matricide, a boiled sheep's head, a huge troll, and an exceedingly important App Store purchase. Whoooooeee.
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced