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mediaevalmuse 's review for:
The Changeling
by Victor LaValle
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.