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The Changeling
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Victor LaValle
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
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The Changeling
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Publisher's Summary
“[This] haunting tale weaves a mesmerizing web around fatherhood, racism, horrific anxieties and even To Kill a Mockingbird. And the backdrop for this rich phantasmagoria? The boroughs of New York.” (The New York Times)
Winner of an American Book Award, a Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, a British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel, and a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
Nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award, an International Dublin Literary Award, and a Mythopoeic Award for Literature.
When Apollo Kagwa's father disappeared, he left his son a box of books and strange recurring dreams. Now, Apollo is a father himself - and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo's old dreams return, and Emma begins acting odd. At first, Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo’s quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he'd imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.
Named One of Paste’s Best Horror Books of the Decade • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • USA Today • The New York Public Library • NPR • BuzzFeed • Kirkus Reviews • Book Riot
“The thriller you won’t be able to put down.” (O: The Oprah Magazine)
“By turns enchanting, infuriating, horrifying, and heartbreaking, The Changeling is never less than completely engaging.” (NPR)
“Strange and wonderful.” (The New York Times)
“A dark fairy tale of New York, full of magic and loss, myth and mystery, love and madness. The Changeling is a mesmerizing, monumental work.” (Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings)
“[A] bewitching masterpiece.... Like a woke Brothers Grimm, his clever new spin on the ages-old changeling myth is a modern fairy tale for the Trump era, taking on fatherhood, parenting, marriage, immigration, race and terrifying loss.” (USA Today)
“Intense, riveting.... The story is a long, slow burn with a lingering sizzle.” (Los Angeles Review of Books)
“A modern-day tale of terror rooted in ancient myth and folklore, brimming with magical revelation and emotional truth.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
What the critics say
"If the literary gods mixed together Haruki Murakami and Ralph Ellison, the result would be Victor LaValle." (Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See)
"LaValle has a knack for blending social realism with genre tropes, and this blend of horror story and fatherhood fable is surprising and admirably controlled.... LaValle has successfully delivered a tale of wonder and thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a parent. A smart and knotty merger of horror, fantasy, and realism." (Kirkus Reviews)
What listeners say about The Changeling
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lorette George
- 2020-09-26
Wonderful blend of the old and the new.
I really loved this book! It was such an interesting blend of a contemporary story of a young couple and their child coming head on into the nightmare of the old world. The narrator (also the author) added to the story as though he were telling the story as though it were his own personal story. I was engaged throughout the novel and couldn't wait to hear what would happen next. Strong plot right from the beginning.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- K. Betz
- 2023-07-25
Well written, rough story
The writing and narration was good but the overall story was lacking. It starts slow and takes a long time to get to the good meat of the plot. I wish the explanation at the end was a bigger part of the story as it was the most interesting. Also a note: This should have bright red trigger warnings all over the cover. TW for severe post partum depression and infant death. I honestly think this book could be harmful for someone struggling with these themes. This was the only source of plot/horror for most of the book. Overall I didn’t really like it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rob
- 2017-12-22
Slow Start, Solid Finish
I was ready to give up on this book about 4 hours into it as it felt like I was listening to a new parent's blog. Then without warning, a complete switch in tone and pace gets things moving. The story ended up being original and entertaining. While this isn't conventional horror, the author explores those natural fears of parenthood and amplifies them.
The author is a decent enough narrator but he reads very slowly. Listening at 1.25 speed is a much better pace and 1.5 is doable but things occasionally become garbled.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- tamar brannigan
- 2019-02-28
Exciting novel
Many unexpected turns which kept me riveted, sometimes because they seemed so on the nose
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-07-23
Really fascinating story
This story had so many twists that I never saw coming. If you love mythology and spookiness, you will love this.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jérémie Brisebois
- 2018-11-13
nice build up, poor and deceiving story ending.
well written and easy to read, the first half of the book is verry well written, but the story lacks in yhe second half
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