 Entertaining modern-day riff on the changeling folktale The ‘changeling’ originates in the ancient and middle age folklore of numerous European countries and in recent times has been a particularly popular theme in YA fiction, with Helen Falconer’s The Changeling and Brenna Yovanoff’s The Replacement being two fine examples. In the original folktale a new-born baby is stolen and replaced with a fairy child, who then struggles to survive in the world without magic. Peter Fugozzotto’s The Roots Have Dug Into My Heart does not precisely replicate this old myth, however, his entertaining adult novella certainly uses some of the classic themes associated with the legend. The story opens with a drunk-women, Jessie Milano, pissed and alone in a small-town bar thinking of picking a random guy up before closing time. A possible conquest catches her eye, they head to his car and score some drugs, just when things are about to get physical, he mentions he is married, and Jessie flips out and slaps him. She wakes up the next morning with yet another hangover, her mother nagging once again and her young daughter obliviously watching cartoons in the next room. The story revolves around Jessie, and although she is not the most sympathetic of characters, she is well drawn and believable as the reader quickly realises she has a host of problems including alcohol and drug addiction, which she has been fighting a losing battle against over a number of years. The disappearance of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare and The Roots Have Dug Into My Heart authentically nails the pain, suspicion and guilt which goes along with it. After yet another heavy night Jessie’s mum tells her to drag herself from her bed, as she is going to work and her daughter needs her, instead she falls asleep again. After waking up hours later she realises Maya is no longer in the house, she panics, the police are called, and fortunately the little girl is quickly found. And that is when the fun begins…. Interestingly, even though the novella is primarily about whether anything has happened to Maya, for much of the time the child takes the backseat and the story revolves around the mother and how her fractured psyche perceives the child. Let us not forget Jessie is a mess, flashbacks fill in the backstory, and she is back living with her mother after yet another failed relationship and attempt to get clean. Overall, the story has a nice balance of potentially supernatural elements with a cracked family drama about a woman craving another drink. Jessie’s mother might not have a big part in the story, usually dropping scorn on her daughter, but she is an external barometer about how unwell Jessie is and is not afraid to voice it. Connected to that, some of the best scenes have nothing to do with the supernatural. One of my favourites played out in a local diner, Jessie takes Maya out, it is still morning and Jessie orders a beer, receiving a disapproving frown from the waitress. The little girl then refuses to eat her pancakes and bites her mother who then slaps the child full in the face. Everybody in the diner hears the crack before the little girl begins screaming.  At the heart of the story the novella explores how far a woman will journey to get her daughter back. And that is the interesting thing about this piece, for much of the time the reader is not entirely sure, and Jessie’s confusion is effectively passed onto the reader. However, as the story is presented in the third person and so Jessie is not a typical unreliable narrator, who traditionally tell the story in the first person. Psychologically though, Jessie is as damaged as they come and as the action hots up you will be rooting for her redemption. Along the way there were many other good scenes, another startling moment involving a plate of uncooked meat. Yuck. I sped through The Roots Have Dug Into My Heart in no time at all and it was very easy to read in a couple of sittings, coming in at around ninety minutes or so. Although they are nothing new, it has a nice blend of supernatural elements, blended nicely with drama, broken characters seeking redemption and an entertaining build-up to a killer last chapter. 3.5/5 Tony Jones   the heart and soul of horror review websitesComments are closed.
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