Fantasy and the realms of realism are taken to a whole new level in the intriguing novel ""The Stolen Child"" by Keith Donohue. This modern-day fairy tale is narrated from the viewpoint of a young boy, Henry Day, and his hobgoblin or changeling, a fairy that steals children and molds their body to perfectly resemble theirs. Donohue does an outstanding and intricate job in breaching the walls between myth and the modern day world.
Henry Day is kidnapped when he runs away from his home into the dark forest near a tribe of changelings. The dark shadowy world of the forest becomes a new home for Henry where he learns to live and mold his habits to nature. Gradually, he loses sight of his identity and is referred to as Aniday. Throughout the entire story, he is haunted by his past life of family and society. The tribe of stolen children, still aging in mind and health, must avoid a society going through urbanization that is constantly invading their home by moving deeper and deeper into the forest.
Donohue proves to be a literary genius in combining the mythical fairy tales with modernization. The writing resembles poetry, helping to envoke a setting of deep nature and a polluted, ever-changing society. Donohue has created a wonderful fairy tale story for an older audience.
The changeling that steals Henry Day's place in the world must transform his personality and past life of scampering around in the forest to fit into a modern, fast-paced society. The new Henry Day struggles to hide his true identity as a changeling from the Day family. The hobgoblin is constantly haunted by his past, as before he too was a stolen child, and has memories of being a young German boy learning to play the piano. Constant visions and memories of his father speaking to him in German flood into his life as he learns about family and experiences true love. The boy discovers he was an extremely talented young piano player in his past life and continues his skills in the body of Henry Day.
Donohue puts a twist on leaving childhood and finding one's true identity in this exceptional story. There is a perfect mix of fantasy and realism that flows from page to page. This novel carries a powerful message of the difficulties of growing up in a very unique way. An older audience will appreciate the modern touch on a unique and thrilling fairy tale.
