The Stolen Child | Keith Donohue

The Stolen Child | Keith Donohue | The Stolen Child Steals You Away..

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The Stolen Child

	The Stolen Child Keith Donohue Anchor, 2007 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 279 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

?I am a changeling?a word that describes within its own name what we are bound and intended to do. We kidnap a human child and replace him or her with one of our own. . . .?

The double story of Henry Day begins in 1949, when he is kidnapped at age seven by a band of wild childlike beings who live in an ancient, secret community in the forest. The changelings rename their captive Aniday and he becomes, like them, unaging and stuck in time. They leave one of their own to take his place, an imposter who must try?with varying success?to hide his true identity from the Day family. As the changeling Henry grows up, he is haunted by glimpses of his lost double and by vague memories of his own childhood a century earlier. Narrated in turns by Henry and Aniday, The Stolen Child follows them as their lives converge, driven by their obsessive search for who they were before they changed places in the world.

Moving from a realistic setting in small-town America deep into the forest of humankind?s most basic desires and fears, this remarkable novel is a haunting fable about identity and the illusory innocence of childhood.

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Regarding Henry

These days the changeling myth has lost much of its fearsomeness, although parents who learn of it probably have fleeting thoughts about how terrible it could be. With The Stolen Child, author Donahue takes this ancient scenario out of the fantasy realm and into the real one. To immerse one's self into the narratives of Henry, the stolen child now trapped in a time warp, and other Henry, the hobgoblin who stole his identity and his very life, is to delve into the profound psychological effects that such a switch, if possible, might cause. Living forever and never aging sounds enticing, until the consequences, the gains and losses, are considered in their entirety. Similarly, the strain of pretending to be, and ultimately becoming, somebody else, would be equally burdensome.
The Stolen Child is a tale that can be experienced on several other levels. There is the practical,eg, how could such an exchange be accomplished? There is the philosophical, eg, how could one be one's self and someone else at the same time? And would it be worth trying to adjust to the changes? There's the emotional, leaving one's home/family/clan and breaking/forming different bonds. And of course there's the simple adventure of it all. Real Henry's situation is complex enough, but the substitute Henry must cope both with his new life and with several others as they become manifest to him.
Donahue is a skilled writer, creating enthralling characters, plots, dialog, and consciousness. More than a coming of age story, it's a study of human nature and basic needs. This debut novel is reminiscent of some of Neil Gaiman's work, though with less of the magical and more of the existential. But like Gaiman, Donahue explores the archetypal themes of loss, love, identity, survival, and moving on.
Here's hoping for a new Donahue release, sooner rather than later!

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The Stolen Child Steals You Away..

I knew very little about the "changeling" myth & fairies to me were like Tinkerbell with her cute little wings,etc. The "faeries" in this book are about as far away as Disney as you can possibly get, as described by Henry Day ,a perfectly normal 7 year old boy who is stolen by them and replaced with a "changeling" aka one who changes both his physical appearance as well as personality so he can take the child's place without any suspicion being aroused. The creatures who capture him are a grubby,eccentric lot,in short old people trapped in endlessly child-like bodies,each with their own distinctive personality. The chapters alternate between the real Henry Day(The stolen child of the title)who is "christened" Aniday and his doppelganger a very old,musically gifted changeling(which surprises his parents as the real boy never showed any talent for music) who takes his place. Each has they're own memories to contend with ad well as a adapting to their new lives.eventually leading to both trying to figure out who they really are. Meanwhile The other changelings patiently wait their turn to steal a child and take his or her place,but as suburbia encroaches on their haven in the woods.it becomes more and more difficult. The story is told in such a realistic way that the makes the story both believable and plausible,as well as fascinating. I felt kind if sad when the book ended but was satisfied with the ending. For fans of fantasy or those who don't like "fairy stories" I recommend this book to both..

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Wonderful story.

The Stolen Child is a magical and wonderful story. It's fascinating to read of the lives of the two switched boys and how each are driven in the end to find out about the other. I loved it.

A Must Read

I loved this book. I thought about the characters a lot while reading and it was not an easy decision on whom to root for. I think a good fantasy story makes you wonder just a little bit if there's maybe any truth to it at all and this book did that for me. It was fun to suspend my disbelief for a while. At times, the story was scary in a fantastic way. I highly recommend this book.

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Haunting for Mothers

I am an avid reader, but have never written a review. As a mother of two small boys, I have never been so profoundly haunted by a book in my life. Deep melancholy is the only word that comes to mind. This book completely captures the intangible bond between parent and child. While I am incredibly conflicted about recommending this tragic book to others, on the other hand, I will never forget the indescribable sadness I felt while reading it.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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