The Changeling
core novel 2017 The Changeling
Record
| First published | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.76 (29,249 ratings, collected 2026-08-29) |
| Page count | 431 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780812995947 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The Changeling, published by Victor LaValle in 2017, follows Apollo Kagwa, a rare book dealer in New York City whose life is upended when his wife Emma, struggling with severe postpartum depression after the birth of their son, commits a shocking act of violence and then vanishes without explanation. Reeling from grief and desperate for answers, Apollo begins a search for Emma that soon moves well beyond ordinary detective work, guided by a mysterious stranger who seems to know far more than he should about what has really happened. The investigation leads Apollo to a forgotten island in New York's waters, a graveyard holding secrets tied to his own family history, and a stretch of forest where old immigrant folklore turns out to be disturbingly literal, forcing him to reconsider everything he assumed about his wife, his son, and the city he thought he knew.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Changeling
- Series: The Changeling core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Victor LaValle
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2018: won
- British Fantasy Award (Best Horror Novel (August Derleth Award)), 2018: won
- Locus Award (Best Horror Novel), 2018: won
- American Book Award (Fiction), 2018: won
Notes
- From the series record (The Changeling): Single stand-alone novel; treated as its own one-book series per this project's standard single-work convention.
Sources
← The Changeling dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.