# The Changeling

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/kenzaburo-oe/the-changeling

![The Changeling](https://quivercdn.com/covers/atlantic-books/kenzaburo-oe/the-changeling_978-18-4354-734-1.jpg?v=2026-05-22%2023%3A40%3A23)

- Authors: [Kenzaburō Ōe](https://www.bookquiver.com/kenzaburo-oe)
- Language: en_GB
- Published: 2010-06-01

## Description

Kogito is a writer, and is in his sixties when he rekindles a childhood friendship with his estranged brother-in-law Goro. Goro sends Kogito a number of cassette tapes onto which he has recorded reflections about their friendship. But one night, Goro’s message takes a profoundly unsettling turn: ‘I’m going to head over to the Other Side now,’ Goro says, and then Kogito hears a loud thud. After a moment of silence, Goro’s voice continues: ‘But don’t worry, I’m not going to stop communicating with you.’ Moments later, Kogito’s wife rings to tell him that Goro has jumped to his death from the roof of a building. Kogito begins a search to understand what drove his brother-in-law to suicide. The Changeling takes readers from the forests of southern Japan to the streets of Berlin in a profound exploration of the ways in which the past – both real and imagined – affects our lives.

## Editions

### The Changeling

- Publisher: atlantic_books
- ISBN: 978-18-4354-734-1
- Pages: 1
- Published: 2010-06-01
- Language: en_GB