The Stolen Child - Book Review

From the book jacket: On a summer night, Henry Day runs away from home and hides in a hollow tree. There he is taken by the changelings - an unaging tribe of wild children who live in darkness and in secret. They spirit him away, name him Aniday, and make him one of their own. Stuck forever as a child, Aniday grows in spirit, struggling to remember the life and family he left behind. He also seeks to understand and fit in this shadow land, as modern life encroaches upon both myth and nature.

In his place, the changelings leave a double, a boy who steals Henry's life in the world. This new Henry Day must adjust to a modern culture while hiding his true identity from the Day family. But he can't hide his extraordinary talent for the piano (a skill the true Henry never displayed), and his dazzling performances prompt his father to suspect that the son he has raised is an imposter. As he ages the new Henry Day becomes haunted by vague but persistent memories of life in another time and place, of a German piano teacher and his prodigy. Of a time when he, too, had been a stolen child. Both Henry and Aniday obsessively search for who they once were before they changed places in the world.

This is a very good book with a creative and whimsical plot. The author took an unbelievable turn of events and made it seem believable and realistic. His style is distinct and the format of alternating every other chapter between the perspectives of the two main characters made the story easy to follow and created a sense of divergent lives running parallel in time. The main characters were well developed as were several supporting characters that made the story that much more interesting. This book is definitely a page turner and a quick read.

I don't know what the author's plans are, but I would love to read a sequel. There were enough loose ends left at the end of this novel to leave the door open for further adventures. Much like Harry Potter is a smash hit for young adults who want to explore the fantasy world of the wizards, The Stolen Child is the adult version for those who would like to escape reality and enter the world of fairies and changelings. Although, the fantasy world of Harry Potter is much more complex and completely thought through, whereas The Stolen Child could have been a little more detailed / complete. By the way, the legend of changelings isn't anything new - it's been around for generations and more information can be found here. Overall, I would recommend this book for Harry Potter fans or fantasy fans in general - it won't take much time to read and it's worth every second. Who knows, maybe you'll uncover memories of a stolen childhood.


Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I read it again: No

The Stolen Child
by Keith Donohue
Hardcover: 319 pages
May 2006