The Changeling | 
panI started this book excited, having heard good things about it: a book collector in New York City embarks upon a surreal trip into ancient folklore after his wife disappears following a horrendous event involving their newborn infant. It‘s an ambitious mix of fantasy, urban realism and the psychological trials of new parenthood, but a mix that didn‘t cohere well enough to make a truly good story.
#audiocrafting #scarathalon2022 #TeamMonsterMash @StayCurious #20in4
Welp this halloween wall quilt only took me 9 months to finish...😅
This book felt like a long walk for a short drink of water. You know how “From Dusk to Dawn“ starts as a pretty standard action flick and then suddenly takes a left turn into horrortown? Well that's kind of what happened in this book, but I'm not sure I really got what I wanted from either part of the story.
1. Living in our world and finding yourself in a surreal dreamlike situation all of a sudden - with no idea how you slipped into it, whether what you experience is real or not or what may happen next.
Pure wonder. Or, as somebody once said about Haruki Murakami's books: 'It's like reading a dream'.
2. 🔼
3. Oh yes! I like the dreamlike sensation of strange occurrences & not knowing what's happening next...
🔽
Sometimes I think I‘m as invested in peeling stickers off B&N books as I am reading them. #committed
pickBook 68🎧 4⭐️
What an amazing and detailed story! It was a little slow paced for me but the story is beautiful and I enjoyed it being from the fathers point of view. A little spooky, a little wild, a little heartbreaking.👏🏻🧶
It is late, but here is my May #BookSpin & #BookSpinBingo list (& a crappy pic too!)! I did have it done by 5/2, I swear! I will soon post my almost bingo for April. 😂
@TheAromaofBooks
pickI wouldn‘t necessarily say “enchanting” as billed on the cover, but wow, what an intense, engrossing read. Following Apollo on his journey, trying to navigate the pitfalls of our world with the unknowns of a world right out of the darkest of fables…was a ride and a half. The visual impact of the writing were what really made it for me, although sometimes what also made it brutal. Somehow, it‘s ultimately a book about family, love & forgiveness.
This book has a serious creep factor that is somehow incredibly absorbing…and I don‘t go for horror. Somehow the dark fairy tale vibes make it less scare and more psychologically eerie? Loving it, regardless…
pickI was heavily immersed in The Changeling from the start. Although it‘s a slow build, it never fails to intrigue, and I love how Lavelle masterfully brings the reader from historical fiction to contemporary fiction, quietly pushing us toward the path of an unexpectedly dark fairytale. It‘s easy to forget that‘s why you picked up this book, as the story is captivating lyrical candy long before the horror ensues.
“If our relationships are made of many small lies, they become something larger, a prison of falsehoods.”
pickThis has been on the TBR for aWHILE so I‘m glad I was able to use #ReadSpooky2022 as an excuse to finally sit down and read it. I did have some issues stylistically and with pacing, but overall it‘s a really heart-wrenching yet beautiful story. There are elements that I‘ll keep coming back to. @teebe
pickI didn't really know what to expect from this book, but I had heard good things about Victor LaValle. Well, this book was a wild ride. Urban fantasy, horror, fairy tale. There are definitely still some unanswered questions, but I enjoyed it over all.
pickBuddy read with @sprainedbrain and @Chrissyreadit This was outside of my genre comfort zone, but there were lots of pleasant surprises. As previously noted in other reviews although it had lots of myths and legends there were lots of metaphors about racism etc. I feel like it was a compulsive read. And while there were some storylines not resolved I couldn‘t put it down and have already put another book by this author on hold. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
pickOnly my second LaValle, but I‘m officially a fan.
On the surface, this is a really good urban fantasy/horror novel and a clever take on the changeling fairytale, but deeper down it‘s a lot more. Social criticism, race, family and parenthood mixed in with legends and myths, humor and terror, all with LaValle‘s brilliant writing. He can really make you feel so much for a character, and my heart just hurt for Apollo.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickThis was NOTHING I expected! But thanks to @HOTPock3tt I picked it up and could not put it down! And it is my first book completed for my first #deweyreadathon ❤️ I started reading at 8:45, and have probably had an hour of breaks since then- so have read about 4 hours so far. This is a modern day fairy tale- but the horror kind, not the Disney kind. Very character driven and a very slow burn. It was also well written, and took place in Queens.
Signed up for the first time ever! I have no genuine clue how this works- but I‘m home all day and have both audio and physical books to read while I cook and clean- so this can work right? #deweysreadathon #newbie #cluelessreader
MAR ‘21 Wrap-up:
These are the books I completed last month. The 3 on top were read as physical books and the bottom 3 were audiobooks.
What Big Teeth (4⭐️) and A Dowry of Blood (5⭐️) were my favorites. The Changeling was a fantastic way to start out the month. I love Lavalle‘s writing and this one didn‘t disappoint. He also did an amazing job narrating it. Even though it was a low reading month for me, I enjoyed everything I finished.
I frequently find myself recommending books by Victor LaValle, especially The Changeling and The Devil in Silver. I love his books for the way he captures the beauty and quiet dignity in the daily lives of people, especially working class and people of color. There‘s this way he has of telling their stories that makes the smallest details feel anything but ordinary. #Blackliteracyisrevolutionary
pickLaValle's take on the 'modern fairytale ' restores some of the original purposes of the traditional variety: reenvisioning a societal problem using a story that seamlessly blends reality, fantasy, and horror. Our hero is Apollo, a young parent who joins the ranks of modern, involved fathers, even as his personal history of fatherly abandonment and the U.S. history of racism and patriarchal dominance threaten his family's survival in varied ways 👇
@batsy
As I look back at the events, there's a lot packed into these final sections!
👹The graveyard scene was so creepy- probably one of my favorites in the novel. For all of the gross parts, there was something very moving about Apollo's coming to grips with not having truly known his own child. I was trying to think of how this fact and the blood feeding fits into the larger themes, but was struggling a little 👇
pickThis was an intensely wild ride. It's a blend of myth, magic, horror, & realism; there's plenty of issues & themes percolating underneath. LaValle's a captivating storyteller & uses genre tropes to interesting effect; it's a book I always wanted to return to when I put it down, & finding out where it was going to end up was part of the allure. Still, I would say I admired the scope & ambition of the novel more than I loved it. Lots to think about.
@batsy
My pace slowed a little after a busy week, but here are some reactions to Parts 4 & 5:
-I was surprised at the events behind Apollo getting sent to Rikers. Given the strange circumstances of the loss, I was expecting more of a shocked/depressed reaction than vengeance. But as things unfold, seems like there may be a reason for this choice.
- I enjoyed watching the paranoid mystery build: lots of unexpected turns!
Part 5 spoilers below 👇
@batsy Here are a few reactions I had to parts 1-3:
- LaValle has that storyteller expertise of knowing how to hook his audience. Between the short chapters and mounting suspense, it was tough to put down.
-I liked the large time jumps in the opening chapters: most books would have started at Ch 6 and worked in the backstory, but this had more of an air of mystery.
-I never read Outside Over There but I may have to pick up a copy - so creepy! 👇
LaValle has a brilliant way of transforming an event as mundane as a phone registering a text into something deeply sinister.
@batsy
"Unsupervised reading is a blessing for a certain kind of child." YES.
( @Billypar I didn't expect it but for some reason this seems like the right read to soothe my Piranesi book hangover. They're both totally different in style and tone, but somehow of the same spirit.)
Aha! A lovely #bookmail from a lovely person. This one's been on my TBR for a while now, and i will make sure i pick it up soon. Thankee Rach! 🥰
@readordierachel
pickThis was a slow burn but I‘d very strongly urge you to stay with it! I spent several hours going ‘why was this on a horror books list? Why is it labelled fantasy?‘ but when it ramped up I knew and cared about the characters SO much and I truly loved all the places it went, the themes it considered but never in a heavy handed way.
#scarathlon2020 #teamharkness @StayCurious +16 pts
pickThis was a great read. A chilling fairytale, unlike anything I've read before. There is magical realism and horror but also moments so true they made me smile (he nails what it feels like to be a new parent). I will definitely be reading more Lavalle. 4⭐
Lazy, rainy Sunday working on my current reads 📚
@TheSpineView #TwoForTuesday
1) tagged, also the one I'm reading now "The Ghost Map" by Steve Johnson
2) yes, I ask specific people for specific genres(recently childrens books for a 5 year old)
@Buechersuechtling thanks for the tag
so-soThis book I postponed reading because I thought I‘d love it so much. And indeed it started off stunning. Beautiful insights into childhood, adulthood, and friendships. A love for NY spatting off the pages. And then parenthood‘s feverish early days end in an act of violence. Still so good and creepy and suddenly the anxieties of fatherhood, race, money are changed by otherworldly things like trolls and zombies. I lost interest and I feel so sorry.
Ha! And I've finished my reading challenge, look at that! I wasn't really sure I would this year.
What the hell just happened?!!
I sure hope this ends well! 🤪
Ha! So true! I can relate to that 100%! I also had that with my kids!
The kids are playing together nicely for a change so I'm taking a break with my book
pick🌟5/5🌟
A dark adult fairytale mythologizing the fears surrounding becoming a parent in present day New York that also explores racism and features Norse mythology, witches, and book lovers.
I caught at least two Easter eggs referencing other gothic/horror novels.
(CW/TW for horror themes involving children)
Only a couple of pages in, but already I'm sucked into this plot. Where to and why did his father vanish? Can't wait to find out!
You guys are absolutely fabulous!
Thank you sooo much for all these beautiful cards, bookmarks, stickers, tattoos, simply all the wonderful things!
Thank you @Mitch for the book, it sounds intriguing! So generous of you!
@robinb Love the bookmark, made me laugh! S'mores books! 😂
@Lovesbooks87 @runswithscissors007 @BookNAround @BookwormAHN @SmartSassery @Moonprismpower @OriginalCyn620 @aroc @LittleBug
#litsylove
pickI devoured this one. I started it late last night & just finished. Lavalle is an autobuy author for me & I am consistently amazed by him. I find the changeling myth fascinating & the literary interpretations I've read have ranged from disappointing (Tudor's sophomore book) to exceptional (Wesolowski's Changeling). Lavalle's is the best I've read. I do recommend going in knowing as little about it as possible. I'm updating my best of the year👇
There are two types of people in the world: those who love lavalle and those who don't. As for the second category, I just don't have time for that nonsense in my life!
Loved how this book brought classic fairy tale/ folk lore into a digital age. The idea that by posting your life online, you‘re giving an invitation to all of the things in the night is eerie and really makes you stop and consider how much of yourself you give away online.
“Posting online is like leaving your front door open and telling any creature of the night it can enter.”
pickA horrifying work of magical realism that is beautifully bewitching. This pretty long book keeps you racing through it. Seriously enjoyed this one!
pickContinuing my TBR project:
This is one the oldest selection on my TBR list - Originally added August 7, 2017.
I read this 448 page book in on day — I think that speaks for itself, that and the 5-star rating.
