The Changeling - Victor Lavalle

Summary:

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.

Summary from goodreads.com

My Review:

How can one story become so many different stories, with multiple plots and scenes? After reading this book, I felt both oddly and pleasurably… confused.

This was the very first time that I have read a book with no previous idea of what I would be reading. Yes, I skimmed through the book’s summary but I thought I knew what it was. We all know the movie Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, right? Well, I have never seen the movie or really knew what it was about so, naturally, I thought this was the book I was preparing to begin. I’m laughing now to myself because through the first half of the book I kept wondering which role Ms. Jolie played.

The story is told from the third person point of view while following Apollo on his many adventures. I truly loved his character. He is a good son, a good father, and a book lover, which made me love him even more. The Changeling is like three books in one. The first few chapters of the book is like a love story. Apollo falling in love with his books, then with Emma and then falling head over heels with his new baby boy. These few chapters give us an in-depth look at the joys of fatherhood and the bond between a father and his son. Only after reading these pages could anyone understand the magnitude of loss that Apollo felt when things started to crumble.

The next few chapters were like a cyber horror story. Enough to make any person with a computer and Wi-Fi connection fear for their lives, and bank accounts. As Apollo begin searching for Emma, he learns of the many things any hacker with an internet source can do to both help and harm. This leads us to the final few chapters which read like a child’s worst nightmare. Immigrant tales of goblins and trolls that eat children when they are naughty, type nightmare.

I’m so glad I didn’t dive too deeply into what this book was about before I decided to read it or I’m afraid I never would have. I am not very attracted to sci-fi fantasy type stories and this one definitely had a bit of horrific wonder to it. Though a bit weird at times, it was an adventure that I would definitely take again! It has even encouraged me to read less book summaries before I dive into them. I think this adds to the mystery and fun of reading because there are no expectations to meet only to be disappointed.

Cheers to Victor Lavalle for getting me out of my genre funk!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31147267.The_Changeling