The Changeling

“A bad fairy tale has some simple goddamn moral. A great fairy tale tells the truth.”
― Victor LaValle, The Changeling

I loved this book's blend of supernatural monster/fantasy/horror/fairy tale as an analogy to the real-life terror that accompanies parenthood. It taps into the primal fear that we're inadequate to another life into this big, bad world. A missing child is every parent's worst nightmare. One prominent theme of this story is LaValle's examination of technology and how it causes us to both ignore our children as well as invite predators to get a good look at them. The story takes you on a father's dark and dangerous adventure to find the monsters that have completely shattered his young family.

I enjoyed LaValle's use and knowledge of New York City. The scene where Emma gives birth on the subway really works. There's a disturbing and paranoid atmosphere throughout the book that suits the story well. Who's watching you and who can you trust? There's also a good amount of gore and violence to satisfy the horror buff in me.

The downside of the story is that it was very slow to build. It didn't get “weird” until over halfway through. A lot of time is spent setting up Apollo's childhood and background as well as his motivation to become a father. It does require patience. Also the characters, Apollo and Emma were not as vivid as the characters in LaValle's previous work. I don't have a strong sense of Emma despite the occasional shift to her POV. Though we spend a lot of time with Apollo, little is revealed about his personality.

There is also an anti-father message. The book assumes that only mothers have the wisdom to recognize when their baby is not their baby anymore. Apollo himself is only able to see the changeling once he has physical proof. Only then is he “worthy” to join Emma in the fight against the monsters to get their son back. The major villain of the piece is a father who voluntarily sacrifices his own daughter for economic gain and then proceeds to stalk and harass his ex wife. Apollo's father was a deeply disturbed individual, while his mother is a heroic, hardworking, single mom.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of LaValle's work in the future.