Comfort Me With Apples – Catherynne M. Valente
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Arcadia Gardens is a community that prides itself on safety. Its strict homeowner rules cover everything from paint color and fence height to offspring and how you socialize. Sophia strives to be the perfect wife, so why does she begin to question her house, her husband and their idyllic life?
Expectation: A modern retelling of “The Stepford Wives” for the #MeToo era.
Reality: Definitely not what I expected but, in the best,, most WTF ways.
Recommended For: Fans of speculative fiction.
Why I Read It: It was recommended by a bookish buddy.
My Take:
You can’t describe more of the plot than what’s above without giving away the mystery, but I’ll say that I had theories throughout the story and every single one of them was wrong.
In the end, “Comfort Me With Apples” was completely WTF, but in the best way. It’s the type of book that you want to restart as soon as you finish it to see how the author planted (apple) seeds along the way.
While these types of stories – let’s call the genre secular scifi – are not usually to my taste (Exhibit A: the horrendous “A Children’s Bible”), Caterhynne M. Valente kept this the right length, sustained an ominous tone and tingled each of your senses by describing how Sophia experiences the world around her.
At its slim length, I’d say it would be the perfect pick for a book club that doesn’t want marathon reads. I’m dying to debate it with others!
The audiobook — clocking in at just over two hours — is fantastic. Karis Campbell portrays the haunting innocence of Sophia with great effect, and as we enter the last third, she expertly builds the tension once some well-known characters enter the fold.
[spoiler full discussion]
My knowledge of the Adam and Eve origin story is rather basic, but I love how Valente infused this centuries old narrative with modern day perspectives.
My interpretation of “Apples” is that it is a diatribe against the perception of what makes a good Christian woman. Valente addresses the idea of wives submitting to their husband and blindly obeying every rule and how religion has been weaponized against them. If a wife disobeys, the husband is free to start over while she is damned.
There was never a moment throughout the story where I thought this was a Bible story being rebooted, and that’s the genius in Valente’s interpretation.
Playing with contemporary and antiquated language and putting Sophia in scenarios that had you question her sanity made the final act reveal even stronger, because the pieces (mostly) clicked into place.
I would be curious to hear how individuals with a stronger connection to the Christian faith feel about this interpretation. As a person that is more spiritual than religious, it hit the bullseye and showed a lot of creativity.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: January 22 – January 23, 2022
Multi-tasking: Not recommended. There is a lot of rich detail that aids in the enjoyment of the story, and you’ll miss it if you can’t focus on the narration. Given it was about two hours, I sat and listened on the couch with my phone and other distractions put away.
