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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, the heart of the story is creepy and cool. I love the combination of classic tales and high tech. On the other hand, at times it was agonizing to get to the meat of the story. There was a lot of verbal bloat. I think I would have enjoyed it much more had about 25% of the book been trimmed down.
EDIT: The more I think about this book, the more I realize that I don't think it is a very good book. There are elements that I like a lot, but I decided to bump it down to 2 stars.
EDIT: The more I think about this book, the more I realize that I don't think it is a very good book. There are elements that I like a lot, but I decided to bump it down to 2 stars.
Last year Victor Lavalle wrote my favourite novella, "The Ballad of Black Tom", a brilliant reimagining of Lovecraft's racist "The Horror At Red Hook". This year Victor Lavalle has written (probably) my favourite fantasy novel, The Changeling, a book that confronts both the anxieties of parenthood and the toxicity of Men's Rights Activists.
Apollo is a rare book dealer whose life is motoring on just fine. He is happily married to Emma and they've just brought into the world a happy new baby boy. Except... well... since the birth of their son Emma has been acting weird, detached, unwilling to show affection or bond with her child. What seems to be an awful case of post-partum depression becomes a nightmare when Emma seemingly murders her son and vanishes into the night. Apollo, with revenge on his mind, searches for his wife but what he discovers... well how about you read the book and find out.
I've been a father now for seven years but I'll never forget that feeling of joy and elation mixed with trepidation and fear when my son was born. It's a feeling that never actually goes away, not entirely. Victor Lavalle perfectly captures that sense of joy and apprehension. Of course, for Apollo it's ratcheted up to a thousand because something does go horribly wrong, but even before that, before the plot kicks in, Apollo is a man who concerns himself with being a good father, worried about the little things such as making sure his son is happy and fed and keeping an eye out for his safety. Apollo is further driven by the desire not to be like his own father who one day vanished from his life (and whose disappearance still plagues Apollo's dreams).
It's not just about Apollo though, it's also about Emma and the choices she has to make in regard to her son. Terrible choices that I won't spoil here but that make perfect sense as the plot unfolds. This isn't just a novel about a father's anxieties but also about a mother's fear of not being believed when she knows there's something wrong with her child but no-one else, not her husband, not the professionals can see it. Yes this is a book told mostly from Apollo's perspective, but the question of what it is to be a mother is not diminished or undermined.
For his villains Victor Lavalle - in touch with those shouting the loudest at the moment - appropriately chooses a cabal of Men's Rights Activists. Lavalle doesn't hold back in his depiction of them as sad, lonely misogynists. Or more precisely sad, lonely misogynists who use technology and Scottish folklore (note the title) for their own awful agenda. These men are so fucking insane that the lead villain is willing to deface a pristine first edition of To Kill A Mockingbird, which he then sends to his estranged wife, just to show how much he hates her. And Harper Lee apparently.
I haven't said much about the fantastical elements - again note the title - not because it's secondary to the themes of the book - actually the myth of the changeling is a brilliant metaphor for the concerns of parenthood - but because it's so neatly interweaved into the novel that to say much more would be to spoil the fun.
I truly loved this book. It's exploration of parenting resonated and it's use of the fantastic was smart and beautifully understated. Expect to see The Changeling feature on all sorts of award ballots next year.
“Apollo had become one of those men. The New Dads. So much better than the Old Dads of the past. New Dads wear their children. New Dads change the baby’s diaper three times a night. New Dads do the dishes and the laundry. New Dads cook the meals. New Dads read the infant development books and do more research online. New Dads apply coconut oil to the baby’s crotch to avoid diaper rash. New Dads bake sweet potatoes, then grind them in the blender once the baby is old enough for solid foods. New Dads carry the diaper bag—really a big old purse—without awareness of shame. New Dads are emotionally available. New Dads do half the housework (really more like 35 percent, but that’s still so much better than zero). New Dads fix all the mistakes the Old Dads made. New Dads are the future, or at least they plan to be, but since they’re making all this shit up as they go along, New Dads are also scared as hell.”
Apollo is a rare book dealer whose life is motoring on just fine. He is happily married to Emma and they've just brought into the world a happy new baby boy. Except... well... since the birth of their son Emma has been acting weird, detached, unwilling to show affection or bond with her child. What seems to be an awful case of post-partum depression becomes a nightmare when Emma seemingly murders her son and vanishes into the night. Apollo, with revenge on his mind, searches for his wife but what he discovers... well how about you read the book and find out.
I've been a father now for seven years but I'll never forget that feeling of joy and elation mixed with trepidation and fear when my son was born. It's a feeling that never actually goes away, not entirely. Victor Lavalle perfectly captures that sense of joy and apprehension. Of course, for Apollo it's ratcheted up to a thousand because something does go horribly wrong, but even before that, before the plot kicks in, Apollo is a man who concerns himself with being a good father, worried about the little things such as making sure his son is happy and fed and keeping an eye out for his safety. Apollo is further driven by the desire not to be like his own father who one day vanished from his life (and whose disappearance still plagues Apollo's dreams).
It's not just about Apollo though, it's also about Emma and the choices she has to make in regard to her son. Terrible choices that I won't spoil here but that make perfect sense as the plot unfolds. This isn't just a novel about a father's anxieties but also about a mother's fear of not being believed when she knows there's something wrong with her child but no-one else, not her husband, not the professionals can see it. Yes this is a book told mostly from Apollo's perspective, but the question of what it is to be a mother is not diminished or undermined.
For his villains Victor Lavalle - in touch with those shouting the loudest at the moment - appropriately chooses a cabal of Men's Rights Activists. Lavalle doesn't hold back in his depiction of them as sad, lonely misogynists. Or more precisely sad, lonely misogynists who use technology and Scottish folklore (note the title) for their own awful agenda. These men are so fucking insane that the lead villain is willing to deface a pristine first edition of To Kill A Mockingbird, which he then sends to his estranged wife, just to show how much he hates her. And Harper Lee apparently.
I haven't said much about the fantastical elements - again note the title - not because it's secondary to the themes of the book - actually the myth of the changeling is a brilliant metaphor for the concerns of parenthood - but because it's so neatly interweaved into the novel that to say much more would be to spoil the fun.
I truly loved this book. It's exploration of parenting resonated and it's use of the fantastic was smart and beautifully understated. Expect to see The Changeling feature on all sorts of award ballots next year.
“Apollo had become one of those men. The New Dads. So much better than the Old Dads of the past. New Dads wear their children. New Dads change the baby’s diaper three times a night. New Dads do the dishes and the laundry. New Dads cook the meals. New Dads read the infant development books and do more research online. New Dads apply coconut oil to the baby’s crotch to avoid diaper rash. New Dads bake sweet potatoes, then grind them in the blender once the baby is old enough for solid foods. New Dads carry the diaper bag—really a big old purse—without awareness of shame. New Dads are emotionally available. New Dads do half the housework (really more like 35 percent, but that’s still so much better than zero). New Dads fix all the mistakes the Old Dads made. New Dads are the future, or at least they plan to be, but since they’re making all this shit up as they go along, New Dads are also scared as hell.”
My, my. This was quite the epic journey. I don't have much to say except that this was very moving and unique. It's not quite the pure horror I was expecting but there plenty of chilling and horrific moments for sure. But also moments of hope, of joy, of sadness, of nastiness. This felt like a whole dang tapestry of one lifetime. The main character Apollo was interesting. I love interesting protagonists who have good qualities as a person but also has flaws instead of just being a goody-goody. That was Apollo. There were moments where the book goes into fantasy but I feel like overall, this bends a lot of genres to its will.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the first time I’ve ever written a review mid-book, but with another 170 pages left to go, i feel if LaValle had trimmed down his writing, I’d be done by now.
His novellas are among my favs (Lucretia and the Kroons is one of my favorite of all time) but it feels like he just threw words into this book to make it longer. And he ruins the plot development by asking leading questions, right in the text. For example “...the plan had been clear. Kill her. But how? Was he here to harm her or help her? He couldn’t say. And where was she? Why hadn’t she shown herself?” “Had she killed their son? Or was their son still alive? Could there be hope here, too?”
I mean, that’s throughout the book. And, as a savvy reader, i get it! Let me think it through, Victor! Don’t over explain it to me! I feel bludgeoned by the leading questions.
Maybe he did that because he knew this storyline was implausible. The plot leaves room for lots of holes.
I’m finding myself skimming through the fluff to get back to the story. LaValle would have benefited from a strong editor. Lots of pages does not equate to lots of good writing, and i wish he would have stuck to what he’s the best at: packing fantastic tales of NYC magic into twisted storytelling.
His novellas are among my favs (Lucretia and the Kroons is one of my favorite of all time) but it feels like he just threw words into this book to make it longer. And he ruins the plot development by asking leading questions, right in the text. For example “...the plan had been clear. Kill her. But how? Was he here to harm her or help her? He couldn’t say. And where was she? Why hadn’t she shown herself?” “Had she killed their son? Or was their son still alive? Could there be hope here, too?”
I mean, that’s throughout the book. And, as a savvy reader, i get it! Let me think it through, Victor! Don’t over explain it to me! I feel bludgeoned by the leading questions.
Maybe he did that because he knew this storyline was implausible. The plot leaves room for lots of holes.
I’m finding myself skimming through the fluff to get back to the story. LaValle would have benefited from a strong editor. Lots of pages does not equate to lots of good writing, and i wish he would have stuck to what he’s the best at: packing fantastic tales of NYC magic into twisted storytelling.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief