The Changeling

"An apologetic mastermind." ~ pg. 205

A box of books stamped IMPROBABILIA and recurring dreams are all Apollo Kagwa's father left when he disappeared. Now that Apollo is a father himself, anxiety and parental obsession kicks in. The dreams return and his wife, Emma, starts acting weird. It becomes clear this is more than postpartum depression; something more troubling is going on. Before Apollo can seek help, Emma vanishes.

Desperate to find his missing wife and child, Apollo is taken through the underworld. This is where it turns WTF. He goes on a journey through a forgotten island, a graveyard, a forest, stomping grounds of immigrant legends and a place from his past. What a whirlwind of discovery!

"It's not a baby." ~ pg. 143

I love it when I get an aha! moment while reading a book. It is that feeling of figuring out what the fuck is going on after piecing together clues, characters and plot lines. This aha! moment kicked in rather late for me in The Changeling. I was not confused; the story was just really well-paced. Even though it is a retelling of a classic fairy tale, this novel is still thrilling as ever. High five, Victor Lavalle.

Thank goodness for the good judgment of my bookhearts. I wouldn't have looked twice at this novel had it not been for a good rating by Read in Colour. It is so not a genre I normally read. But there are some people that I trust their recommendations no matter what. Thus, I borrowed The Changeling from my public library and got to reading! Now it's your turn. TAG—you're it!

Title: The Changeling
Author: Victor Lavalle
Published: June 2017
Pages: 431
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Popsugar—A Bestseller from a Genre I Don't Normally Read
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤