The Stolen Child

My first attempt at writing a book review:

The Stolen Child was a poem about changelings written in 1889, now, this novel by the same name expands on the theme in an ultimately unsatisfying way. Keith Donahue's novel immediately intrigues the reader with the tale of Henry Day, a seven year old boy kidnapped by a group of forest dwelling changelings (mythical creatures who never age and form a secret society on the outskirts of the human world), when he runs away from home. Henry is replaced in his own home by a changling boy with a past life of his own. Henry is now a hobgoblin named Aniday, and the hobgoblin is now finally a child again. But can this carbon copy, who is identical yet so different—for example, he suddenly displays extraordinary musical talent—truly become something he isn't?

The novel goes back and forth between two narratives, the boy Henry Day who is now a changeling named Aniday, and the changeling who is now living as Henry. Just as Henry must adjust to being trapped as a changeling, the changeling must now re-adapt as a human being, for he was once a boy himself who was taken by a changeling. Yea, I'm confused too.

Both stories deal with the same topic, "who am I?" The new Henry Day eventually becomes an adult with a son of his own, but constantly lives in fear that changelings will steal his son. Eventually these fears become obsessions. He can't seem to ever escape his past. The new changeling must suffer through almost a century of living as a changeling before he can take his place to become a human again.

I suppose this is a sort of fairy tale for adults. Apparently this book is a metaphor for an unsentimantalized childhood, but it could have been so much more. This book is definitely unique, however, we never completley get swept up in giving a shit about either character. What starts off as an interesting novel, falls flat about 2/3rds in. While there are some interesting aspects that touch on childhood and adolescence, in the end we were a little disappointed.

B-/C+ (I can't decide)