Book Review: THE CHANGELING by Victor LaValle

THE CHANGELING by Victor LaValle (One World, March 2018) Paperback, 448 pages. ISBN # 9780812985870. 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

One man’s thrilling journey through an enchanted world to find his wife, who has disappeared after seemingly committing an unforgiveable act of violence, from the award-winning author of the The Devil in Silver and Big Machine.

Apollo Kagwa has had strange dreams that have haunted him since childhood. An antiquarian book dealer with a business called Improbabilia, he is just beginning to settle into his new life as a committed and involved father, unlike his own father who abandoned him, when his wife Emma begins acting strange. Disconnected and uninterested in their new baby boy, Emma at first seems to be exhibiting all the signs of post-partum depression, but it quickly becomes clear that her troubles go far beyond that. Before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act—beyond any parent’s comprehension—and vanishes, seemingly into thin air.

Thus begins Apollo’s odyssey through a world he only thought he understood to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His quest begins when he meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have information about Emma’s whereabouts. Apollo then begins a journey that takes him to a forgotten island in the East River of New York City, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest in Queens where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.

This dizzying tale is ultimately a story about family and the unfathomable secrets of the people we love.

My Five-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     This is my first introduction to the novels of Victor LaValle. I'd previously only read a short story by him, as well as the Destroyer comic book mini-series he did some years back. I'll definitely return for more. Lavalle has a knack for story-telling and I really enjoy his style. 

     Regular readers of horror fiction may be a bit disappointed, as THE CHANGELING really doesn't read like a horror novel. To me, this felt like more of an adult fairy tale. So I'm classifying it as dark fantasy.

     I love the depth of characterization within the novel, especially Apollo and Emma. I'd recommend this to all lovers of good fiction, but would probably advise new parents to proceed with caution.

NOTES

May 15

Just received and started reading today. Only on Page 21, but Lavelle's storytelling style hooked me right away. 

     Have you ever been to a public library during children's reading hour and seen youngsters with their full attention on the adult reading to them? If the reader is animated and not monotone, the children are captivated and immersed. That's how I feel about the beginning of this book.

May 17 

Now up to page 82. There's just enough foreshadowing of a supernatural nature to cause me to anticipate what's coming later. For now, I'm really enjoying the slice-of-life story of used and rare book seller Apollo and his family. The birth scene was intense and well-done.

May 18

I'm several chapters into Part 4 now. Up to the end of Part 3 this could just as easily served as a romance novel about a couple falling apart after becoming parents and not everyone handling it well. The funny thing is that I didn't object to it taking this long to get to the twist in the plot. I feel the set-up was worth it. I really know these characters and that makes me worry about them even more.

     Now that the twist has occurred and upset everything, I'm anticipating a mesmerizing story with unexpected outcomes.

May 23

"We have to be careful. There are no secrets anymore. Vampires can't come into your house unless you invite them. Posting online is like leaving your from door open and telling any creature of the night it can enter."

May 24

"No matter the circumstances children are always listening. It can be easy for adults to forget this. . . . Children sniff out secrets better than the NSA."

May 28

Page 322:

He felt so groggy, it seemed like he'd been dosed. The last two days had been an uncut drug, an overdose of the improbable. 

May 30

Page 370: 

Apollo's actions here surprised me, and seemed out of character. Until I read further into the story and understood his decisions better. Later in the novel, Emma's actions also surprise me. In hindsight, both decisions seem realistic for this troubled couple.