Victor D. LaValle

The ... story of one man's ... odyssey through an enchanted world to find his wife, who has disappeared after having seemingly committed an unforgivable act of violence"--

A Novel

The Changeling

Eva Ströberg

The Changeling - Victor Lavalle
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I must admit that I watched the series before the book, and the book is so much better (duh!). Things and events were more distorted in the series even those that actually had very little significant in the book became major things in the series, so if even if you’re hating the series, give the book a chance
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Apollo Kagwa, born from an Uganda mother Lilian Kagwa and an American father Brian West, has been having recurring nightmare since he was young, that his father who had abandoned the family, came to take him in a cloud of smoke. 
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He never thought much about it until he got a child of his own, which he also named Brian, with Emma Valentine, a NY librarian with adventurous soul who travelled alone in Brazil for a year. Brian was born in a NY subway train and they thought they would be a happy little family but things soured from that.
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This book is a mixed of renewed folklores, a story about motherhood and its challenges, and how technology can change your life, even for the worse. It’s an interesting melange of subjects and entertaining read
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#victorlavalle #thechangeling #bookstagram #2023readingchallenge #2023reads #currentlyreading

Ryan Mateyk

i really enjoyed this but found the maaaany tonal shifts a bit whiplashy for the reader (rom-com? murder mystery thriller? conspiracy theory? north brother island weirdness? fairytale?). there was also a lot withheld from the reader and i felt like we weren't getting the full picture but overall, it was a great, fun, often gripping and always unique story.

This book was so much deeper than I expected. It’s a true modern fairytale with its roots taken from the traditional dark stories, not the Disney ones we know today. The way LaValle weaves the magical realism into the insidious aspects of modern life is masterful. It was definitely a slow start for me, took me about 150 pages to get into, but once the main action started, I was hooked. So many interconnected twists but it actually does end happily. 

Katie Allard

This has some absolutely excellent ideas; I loved, for example, the fairy tale format, the fabulist elements and the fact that it unpacks the way society views and treats black parents. I liked that, ultimately, Apollo and Emma were loving parents who would go at great lengths for their child. I believe it is truly valuable to show men as involved parents and partners.

However, the book tended to drag a bit at places and go places that were so surprising, they felt ridiculous rather than surreal. There was a certain boomer-opinions-about-technology energy to it that rather detracted from the overall themes of the novel.

This has some absolutely excellent ideas; I loved, for example, the fairy tale format, the fabulist elements and the fact that it unpacks the way society views and treats black parents. I liked that, ultimately, Apollo and Emma were loving parents who would go at great lengths for their child. I believe it is truly valuable to show men as involved parents and partners.

However, the book tended to drag a bit at places and go places that were so surprising, they felt ridiculous rather than surreal. There was a certain boomer-opinions-about-technology energy to it that rather detracted from the overall themes of the novel.

I loved reading Lone Woman which is the author's most recent book, I belive. The Changeling has been on my TBR FOREVER so I was excited to dive in after reading his other book and seeing that they made it into a show with 

LaKeith Stanfield!!! But the book felt too long. I really think the first half of the book about 50% could have been cut out and didn't really add any value. The main character was a bit hard to root for as he was really narcissitic the entire time and didn't really have any character growth. He was SUPER rude to his mother and his partner so much of the time also. Just a lot of what he did and how he acted towards his family and his friends rubbed me the wrong way. 

I also think the way this book was marketed probably wasn't the best. I was  expecting a bit more of fantastical elements and more magical realism but the magic felt flat and we really only get some of it in the last quarter of the book. There were a few things I wanted the author to actually linger on more, (w/o spoilers) like the island! How cool was that! But we are really only in that scene/environment for a couple of chapters. sigh. 

I'm still excited to see the show because again, LAKEITH STANFIELD, and because I want to picture some of the scenes a bit better. 

Gisela Ayala 

I loved reading Lone Woman which is the author's most recent book, I belive. The Changeling has been on my TBR FOREVER so I was excited to dive in after reading his other book and seeing that they made it into a show with LaKeith Stanfield!!! But the book felt too long. I really think the first half of the book about 50% could have been cut out and didn't really add any value. The main character was a bit hard to root for as he was really narcissitic the entire time and didn't really have any character growth. He was SUPER rude to his mother and his partner so much of the time also. Just a lot of what he did and how he acted towards his family and his friends rubbed me the wrong way. 

I also think the way this book was marketed probably wasn't the best. I was  expecting a bit more of fantastical elements and more magical realism but the magic felt flat and we really only get some of it in the last quarter of the book. There were a few things I wanted the author to actually linger on more, (w/o spoilers) like the island! How cool was that! But we are really only in that scene/environment for a couple of chapters. sigh. 

I'm still excited to see the show because again, LAKEITH STANFIELD, and because I want to picture some of the scenes a bit better. 

Denaiir

This was a crazy rollercoaster of a book, I think it made me feel all the emotions a book can cram into a single story. There were times when it was amazing, other times when it was boring, and I went from disliking it to loving it to feeling "meh" about it. 

I liked the cautionary tale aspect about the dangers of posting personal information online, I feel that so many people don't understand the risks. However, I think the message was a bit lost since the story had so many layers, it might have been more efficient if it was more focused and shorter (I think at least 50 pages less).

(view spoiler)[The first part, about Apollo's parents and the start of his story with Emma, was great. The prose was a pleasure to read, the story was progressing smoothly and I wanted to know more. 

Then came the part when Brian is born, and it was SO boring. Stories about changing diapers in stores, posting pictures to facebook, and life being just plain and not so full of adventure. I started getting bored when Emma was giving birth, I did not care at all about that event, and when the baby was born I really lost interest. It was a 3-star read for me that slowly transformed into a 2.5, a 2-star if this was going to continue for much longer.

And then the end of part 3. BOOM! Just amazing. Utterly crazy, this new arc coming out of nowhere, and the story taking a completely different turn. I loved it, and right then it switched to a 5-star. That part was mind-blowing, I couldn't put it down and when I did I couldn't sleep. It was fantastic. Part 4 was keeping me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't wait to know more, to figure out what Apollo would do, how he would go on his quest.

And then, total disappointment. The rest of the book (the Wise Ones, the grave digging, the part in Little Norway) were too long, with too much information that dragged on for ages and nothing interesting going on. There were tons of details that we didn't need (Emma brought some books to the kids on the island because she is a librarian, the grave digging took ages, etc.) and not much centered on the action (what attacked Cal? How did Kinder Garten do it? How come only his wife died? And also what exactly happened with Brian Senior? That was explained in half a page!). I won't get into too much details but I just wanted it to end quicker, to finally understand what was going on and get done with it. 

And finally, the ending was far too convenient: the troll generally eats babies but not Brian? He keeps him alive for months? I don't know, it just really didn't work for me. (hide spoiler)]

Overall the book was too messy, with far too many storylines and subjects crammed into it, and I felt that it was trying too hard to juggle all those stories. It was both too long and not detailed enough. I feel that it would have been way more efficient if it had kept a "clean" storyline. 
 
I would still recommend it, because it has some AMAZING scenes at the end of part 3, but if you reach the 50% mark and it gets boring for you, it probably won't pick up again.

Jenna

I don't even know how to start this review for The Changeling by Victor LaValle. It's just so, so good. And so unexpected. I mean, I didn't know what to expect going in. Or even when I was in it! Also I saw that this book is nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the horror category. I'm not quite sure that's the category it should fit in. Fairy or folk tale retelling maybe, but not of the Disney variety. Of the scary but still not horror variety? I don't know. This book has me all jumbled!

The Changeling is about Apollo Kagwa, an antique book dealer living in New York City. After he and his wife, Emma, have a baby, Brian, Emma starts acting strange. Not your regular post-partum depression strange, but, eerie strange. Disturbing strange. It goes on until she commits an unthinkable act and vanishes.

Crippled with grief, stunned, and confused, Apollo searches for Emma. His search takes him from a mysterious island in the East River to a haunted forest in Queens. It feels weird to have to point out a character's race, but Apollo and Emma are black, and this novel paints a picture of their lives as a black couple in New York City. Race simultaneously isn't and is a big part of the book. It's easy to not even think about their race while you're reading, until Apollo has to think about things like walking alone at night on a dark suburban street, and how that looks.

I don't even know what to say about the writing. It's so good! It's so well done! I don't know how to describe it. You can completely lose yourself in LaValle's words and world. The imagery LaValle creates is deft and vivid.

This book is mesmerizing, enchanting, creepy, heartbreaking, and stunningly beautiful all at the same time. The characters feel like real people. The love stories - both romantic and father/son - are compelling. The story about modern parenting and relationships and friendships and family is smart and powerful. The fairy tail elements even felt real.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I recommend this to, well, everyone.

Melanie Richards

Nadine 

The Changeling by Victor Lavalle - this was one tough read but I’m glad I persevered to the end. A modern day fairytale in the very grim Grimm sense of the word, it examines our obsessive documentation of our own and children’s lives, our childhood memories and more with some interesting gear changes and twists along the way.

Melody Izard

The most unusual unfolding of a story that I have ever read. Normal, Normal, Pow! then smack dab into the woods weird.

Emily C Peterson

Witch

The Changeling wasn't at all what I expected--but that's not a bad thing. The title made me think it'd be more of a horror novel, but it wasn't. That's not to say it wasn't scary at times. Much of it kept me on the edge of my seat. It also tugged at my heartstrings. 
Victor LaValle has created a beautiful and strange modern take on a fairy tale.

Sally Salinas

3.4* This story follows Apollo and his family through some weird stuff. lol. The first half of the book is very family oriented, shows Apollo's childhood & the the mystery of his disappearing father to Apollo having his own family. Then I got to ch 29 & the tone changed a little the communication between Apollo & his wife Emma is a bit more angrier, then I got to ch 30 & was like WTF! Then I read ch 31 & was like WTFF! had to go back to ch29 & re-read those chapter, thinking maybe I didn't read what I just read, but the second half of book was totally different. The first half is the more realistic aspect of family life, the second half if the horror/magical/folklore part. Those 3 chapters just hit the fan and now its Apollo trying to find his wife Emma and learn about what happened to his son Brian. I don't really know if I understood everything that happened in the second have of the book or at least I still haven't put the puzzle together. However, I really enjoyed the book, very vested in Apollo and his search. Really liked his friend Patrice, don't know how I feel about Emma, still haven't got over the violence she caused.

Jessica Nottingham

I am about 4 hours from the end of this audio book, and I'm just done. I'm bored out of my skull. There is so much brilliance here, a darkly beautiful fairy tale, but it's hidden under massive info dumps and more mundane events than I can handle. Things will start to pick up, my interest will peak, and then it's back to the mundane. It doesn't help that the narrator of this book is mainly monotone. I might come back to this at a later date but, as it stands, I'm walking away. It's the end of the year, and I refuse to end on a mediocre book.

Ana Couto

The book held my attention until about halfway through, but then it lost me a bit. I listened to it as audiobook — the narration was great, but overall I couldn’t get into the book’s element of magical realism.

Christine Bruce

Victor LaValle

When Apollo Kagwa was just a child, his father disappeared, leaving him with recurring nightmares and a box labelled 'Improbabilia'. Now a successful book dealer, Kagwa has a family of his own after meeting and falling in love with Emma, a librarian. The two marry and have a baby: so far so happy-ever-after. However, as the pair settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Emma's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, until one day she commits an unthinkable act, setting Apollo on a wild and fantastical quest through a suddenly otherworldly New York, in search of a wife and child he no longer recognises. An epic novel for our anxiety-ridden times, The Changeling is a tale of parenthood, love - in its most raw and brutal form - and ultimately, humanity.

The Changeling A Novel

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