Synopsis: Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente, published in 2021, follows Sophia, a young woman who lives in the beautiful gated community of Arcadia Gardens with her perfect husband. Though her husband is often away for work, she takes comfort in knowing he is working hard to provide for her, while she enjoys her time in their perfect house, mingling with neighbors in their perfect neighborhood. However, Sophia is soon plagued by dark thoughts about her life and her husband after a disturbing discovery in their home.
My Review: I did not know what this was about before going into it. I saw it recommended in an Instagram reel, advertised as a short horror novel with just 100 pages. The inside flap didn’t give much away either. If you haven’t read this, and would prefer to go into it knowing very little, then skip this review, because I may allude to some things that will spoil it.
The first thing that struck me about this strange little book were the terms of the HOA contract strewn throughout, which almost feels like satire on stringent HOA rules. The rules start out as slightly odd but mostly reasonable, like limiting what colors the walls can be painted. However, these rules get increasingly strict and downright absurd as the story goes on.
Arcadia Gardens, the luxury community in which this takes place, starts off feeling like an idyllic utopian neighborhood, but as you learn more, descends into a dystopia. It’s funny because ‘utopia’ and ‘dystopia’ are antonyms, yet the line between them is often blurry. Rules are put in place to stop bad things from happening, yet too many rules take away from our freedoms. That’s not really what this story is about, but in a sense, it is—but in Arcadia, only certain people don’t need to abide by the same rules, creating an unfair power dynamic. If you’ve read this, you’ll know what I mean.
By the end of the book, I was reminded of several different stories. It’s somewhat Orwellian in its dystopian, rule-filled setting. But mostly, it feels like a dark fairy tale, like the French folktale Bluebeard. I’m almost certain the author used Bluebeard as inspiration.
Also, the surrealism reminded me of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. That was a movie I found both fascinating and disturbing in the best possible way, and while the story in Comfort Me With Apples is very different, it evoked that same uneasy feeling at times, especially during a bizarre scene at the amphitheater.
Then, by the last third of the book, the Adam and Eve parallels hit you in the face. Arcadia Gardens is Eden, Sophia’s husband is Adam, and Sophia is one of many Eves. And God ends up being kind of a misogynist villain, a bold move on the author’s part.
The language itself is ornate and somewhat formal. It sort of reads like a classic. I don’t usually enjoy writing that is overly flowery, but it works here. It sets the tone for the novella, which takes place in a contrived community with a cast of stiff and almost old-fashioned characters. Together, the language and setting create a blend of the past and future. The biblical and folktale parallels evoke the past, while the HOA-dominated community feels like a satirical vision of a future overwhelmed by rules.
Comfort Me With Apples is the perfect blend of horror and fantasy with a nice touch of magical realism. Quite honestly, it reads like a weird fever dream, or perhaps a nightmare. For fans of surrealist horror or anyone looking for something unique, I’d recommend this. It’s the kind of story you can read in a sitting, but despite its short length, it packs quite a punch!
My Rating: 4/5
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