Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente Pages: 112
Published by Tordotcom on November 9, 2021
Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect.
It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.
But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze...
But everything is perfect. Isn't it?
Comfort Me With Apples is a creepy adult suspense novella by Catherynne M. Valente. This book was spooky with beautiful prose, a mysterious plot and gave me total stepford wives vibes. Comfort me with Apples is a quick read that is best enjoyed with as little information as possible. Because half of the fun of the first part of the story was trying to figure out what was going on. I will admit that I figured out the general idea before the big reveal at the end, but it did take me a little while to piece it all together, and it was a creepy journey getting there.
Comfort Me With Apples is told from behind the exclusive gated community of Arcadia Gardens, where perfection and tranquility is easily achieved. Here we meet our main character Sophia, who is blissfully happy…until she starts to notice something strange and out of place in her perfect little world. But what exactly is going on in Arcadia Gardens? And why does it seem to all center on Sophia.
Catherynne M. Valente tells this story in a mysteriously captivating way. I loved her flowery prose. It was dramatic at times (in a good way) and honestly it is the main reason I finished this book so quickly. I love that it was a suspense novella because I got to the punchline at the end quickly. It was a creepy ride that I enjoyed. The ending was great, though I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I am still thinking about the book, so I take that as a positive. If you are a fan of creepy suspense books and love a quick read, check out Comfort Me With Apples. This was an interesting read for me.
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