A bit of Bluebeard, a dash of Stepford, a surprising amount of Good Omens... this is a short-sharp-shock of a book, devourable in a single sitting. You might figure out some of what's going on, but Valente keeps you held tight by the throat as the novella races to its end. Terrific stuff.

Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a surprising little read. From the very first few paragraphs, I was already hooked by the most horrific concept of all: GATED COMMUNITIES.

*shudder* *double shudder*

The whole Stepford Wife thing made me shiver with fear, too, but it wasn't until the whole (view spoiler) reveal that I really started to freak out. After that, of course, was delicious. As delicious as a certain apple in a certain garden.

The full scope of this Gated Community Horror is nicely mythic, sitting right on the edge of Fae and the Bible, and I thought it was deliciously evil.

This was just very strange, and I did not connect with it at all. I didn’t know it was some sort of Adam & Eve spin off. I don’t quite understand the hype with this book. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Wowwwwwww this was so well done. The story had so many incredible and unique layers that in such a short novella it sly was kept me guessing. I appreciate the biblical undertones, the creepy atmosphere and the strange and horrific prose that the author was able to craft. It had a Mona Awad esque vibe so if you loved Bunny of All’s Well you would adore this! I’m very impressed!!

Comfort Me With Apples may not be my favorite Catherynne Valente work, but it's still didn't fail to DELIVER. Sexy, mysterious, and haunting all at once.

Comfort Me With Apples had me feeling confused and off-kilter and I love that feeling! It ultimately went to a place that I guessed early on (having read someone else’s review with a little reference to something that flicked a switch right away) and when I finished all I felt was sad and a bit ragey at all the (view spoiler) residing in this world. It’s fiction, yeah, but it also hits a nerve and I suppose that was the point of the story so it’s successful but I can’t say it was an experience I want to repeat any time soon. Days later I’m still feeling too grrrrr about it all!

I’m not saying much because saying anything about the reveal, even vaguely, can give it away. Sophia is a happy housewife, living in a gorgeous gated community, in her giant beautiful house and she has a group of eclectic neighbor friends. She loves her husband even though she never sees him because he’s so busy working - or something. “I was made for him” is her mantra and their life is perfect.

Until it isn’t.

She can abide by all of the HOA rules which get increasingly weirder as the book goes along but when she starts snooping where she shouldn’t snoop, as one will (I mean, COME ON, he’s locked the basement! How could you not?!), she finds some disturbing things . . .

This book is beautifully written and I understand why people are raving about it but I’m not entirely sure it worked for me. The ominous hints at something being completely not ok in this little community of perfection are done exquisitely well and I love a book filled with secrets but something here was off and after the first few chapters I found it a little bit of a struggle, to be honest. Part of that was the fact that the ARC had messy formatting but when I switched to the audio and began again I found I still had similar issues sticking with the story. The narrator is just this side of monotonous which didn’t help but I see why that choice was made. She comes to life in certain scenes (the friend meetup/luncheon was my favorite) and I always knew who was who but I caught myself drifting and rewinding several times which always signals a book isn’t working to hook me.

You’ll probably still be thinking about this story and putting all the little pieces together once you finish. I didn’t love it but that doesn’t mean I didn’t find parts of it enjoyable. It’s well crafted and if you’re a fan of a little dark mystery with a heavy dose of strangeness, you might want to check it out. Just do yourself a favor and go in completely blind.

https://lynns-books.com/2021/11/18/comfort-me-with-apples-by-catherynne-m-valente/
5 of 5 stars
What can I say. I’m literally a little (okay a lot) puzzled about how to start or form this review in fact I’ve been sitting looking at a blank screen for some time just figuring out what to write. The long and the short of it is that I loved this. It’s actually rather brilliant and the only reason I’m really perplexed as to what to put in this review is that I don’t want to give away spoilers. This is a strange tale that is strangely compelling. I had no idea what to expect and yet it managed to defy any expectations that my subconscious had secretly formed and it’s the sort of book that makes you want to read it again, and probably again after that, I mean a fourth read would probably help to pick up those few pesky clues you missed in your haste to reach the end.

Firstly, I think that any book that makes me go away and try to discover more about whatever the heck is going on within its pages is a winner for me. I like books that make me think and this is definitely one of those books. Don’t get me wrong, the only reason I go away to look for answers is I’m ridiculously curious and I like to check out the origins and meanings of certain things – this is a personal thing – and happily there were a number of things here that I had to go away and look up. Colour me happy.

Secondly, for such a short book (which, conversely, is not usually my thing) this packs one heck of a punch. I mean, it really made me sit up and pay attention.

Thirdly, I love this author’s writing. She has been blessed by the God of Books with the power of words. I swear she must have her very own muse. Everything in this book is meaningful. There is literally nothing wasted amongst these pages and yet you could read this story completely differently from the next person who picks it up. The beauty is that, on the face of it, it’s simply a mystery (with a little pinch of horror thrown in for good measure) – and you could read it as such and go away very happy – because that ending! There are hints of The Stepford Wives, I was thinking Bluebeard – surprisingly just about everything but the true origins of this one sprung into my tiny brain at one point or another. There are delicious flavours of fairytale and something sinister that constantly nibbles away at the back of your mind firing you up into a hot mess and making you devour the pages in one sitting.

The real stunner about this book is it certainly isn’t a new or unfamiliar story and yet it had me guessing throughout, leading me down rabbit holes, casting out lines and reeling in red herrings. I was absolutely intrigued – to the max.

Anyway, I’m going to end this review here. I don’t want to talk about the plot, the characters or the setting. You can discover all these for yourselves. I suppose this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is a little unusual but to be honest, given the length, give it a try and see if it grabs you – I think it will. At the very least it will give you food for thought. The other thing I would say is pay attention to everything, I mentioned below that Valente is a wordsmith and that is evidenced here by the bucket load – everything here is relevant so don’t skip anything. All will eventually be revealed.

Apologies that this is such a tease but I think it’s for the best.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I’m torn on my feedback for this one, giving it a 2.5/5 and rounding up- it’s well written, like a long lyrical poem. That being said, as an ARC that’s nice for a quick read, but not worth the cover price on this novella. The Biblical references are more like glaring neon signs, and it’s a heavy handed, awkward unfolding of events.

I loved this book! Valentes writing is gorgeous and evocative. The slow shift from perfection to grotesque is also gorgeous and one of my favorite types of plots.

This book was bananas. And to say too much more would be to spoil the entire plot. But [insert character name here] is exactly who we would expect them to be given what this story is a retelling of. And I kind of which we got more of them to really experience it.

I loved the subtle, gruesome imagery, as well as the hidden terror of everyone else in Arcadia. It is a little long-winded, especially in the beginning, but I think it does a really good job setting up Sophia's mindset and giving the reader that unsettling feeling that something somewhere is very very wrong.

Though I'm really curious as to how homegirl had a vanity with a drawer she has never seen nor cleaned and just... Didn't know it was there? That was strange.

Comfort Me With Apples is an odd little novella, but I would expect nothing less from Catherynne Valente. I've been struggling with how to adequately summarize this novella without saying too much and it's proven to be a bit of a task. In essence, this is a story about a woman, Sophia, who lives in what may be seen by some to be an idyllic, perfect community with her husband, whom she loves more than anything and essentially bases her entire life around. Things unfortunately begin to take a somewhat darker turn when Sophia begins to discover some unexpected items around her house and thus starts to question her life and surroundings.

Comfort Me With Apples is an incredibly sharp, intelligent, and clever story that is littered with hints and clues about some greater themes and backdrops that are at play than may be realized. Once I got near the end and started connecting a lot of the dots that had been laid out for me without realizing, I started making all of those connections that were right in front of me the entire time. This book has a lot of mythology incorporated into it in both overt and subtle ways that really made this an entertaining story to read.

The writing is beautiful and flows effortlessly, and no matter how weird the things happening on the page are, it's hard not to be drawn into Valente's writing. Not to mention that the weird things happening on the page are, in fact, captivating in their own right and for their own reasons.

Overall, I've given Comfort Me With Apples four stars! This was an unexpected, yet diverting read that gave me something new to ponder and enjoy. This is a quick read because you just have to keep turning the pages, so I would absolutely recommend to anyone even remotely curious about it.

The moment I read Deathless I knew two things: I very much liked Catherynne M. Valente's writing and I needed to make sure I didn't overdose on it immediately. So I have slowly but surely been spreading out her books over the years, indulging here or there so I don't run out too soon. But when I saw Comfort Me With Apples no restraint could hold me back. Thanks to Macmillan, Tor-Forge, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At just over a hundred pages, Comfort Me With Apples is more of a novella than a novel, but Valente packs a punch in those pages. The difficulty with books like these is that since it does pack a punch it's best to go into the book as blank as possible. But then how do I write a review about it? SO there is going to be some talking around the main topic, there is going to be some hinting, but no straightforward explaining. I think there is a beauty to going into a book blindly, to let it surprise you. I frequently find myself avoiding books that are garnering a lot of buzz, at least initially, so that I can read it at a time when I can form my own opinion and not let it be influenced by other opinions. I'm talking myself out of a job here, but I would recommend avoiding detailed analyses of Comfort Me With Apples so that Valente can surprise and enchant you the way she did me.

Sophia's life is perfect. She is beloved and she loves. Everything around her is also beautiful, even if the whole house is too large for her, to the extent that she needs cushions to see herself in her vanity mirror. But that is fine, because her husband made it for her. So what happens when a single choice introduces doubt into this perfect world? When everyone keeps asking you if you're happy and you can no longer fully say 'yes'? Valente builds up the tension around Sophia perfectly. From the very moment, from the line 'I was made for him' a modern reader is suspicious, but we can't be quite sure what we're suspicious of. I entertained a whole set of theories while reading Comfort Me With Apples, especially once I started picking up on the references and themes Valente was incorporating. Once we near the ending and the tension becomes more palpable I couldn't stop reading, couldn't stop thinking. And even after I had finished it, I continued unraveling the story's layers and implications in my mind.

Catherynne M. Valente doesn't necessarily need me to praise her, but I do need to tell you that her writing in Comfort Me With Apples is superb. Not a word is awry or unnecessary, instead it is so well-crafted that I have difficulty picturing what the writing process must have been like. There was one instance, early on in the book, where something simple like a gift is explained in such a casual way that it completely threw me for a loop. Suddenly I felt like I was reading a different kind of book, like I needed to pay a different kind of attention. Comfort Me With Apples is a perfect blend between suspense, mystery and myth. It tells a story that feels familiar and yet surprises you at every turn. The novella is grounded by Sophia who, despite her naïve nature, is an utterly endearing main character. You want the best for her, even if her own impulses lean more towards a Stepford Wives-situation. Amongst the mystery and mythology of her own tale, Valente asks the reader some difficult questions to which only they can find an answer.

I very much enjoyed Valente's writing before Comfort Me With Apples, but this has lifted my appreciation to a new level.

I have seen this book listed as horror and I don't normally read horror books, sooooo check that off my list! Now, I wouldn't call this horror. If it is, in fact, horror I have been a puss for a very long time. This book is also listed as a terrifying thriller. I wouldn't say it was terrifying. I wasn't terrified. I found it suspenseful. Dark and mysterious most definitely!

I requested this book because it was sci-fi/fantasy and I was interested in the book description. When I was reading I felt like I was falling down a rabbit hole of some weird alternate universe of this perfect world that isnt so perfect and something really, really, really messed up (I was about to use another word here) is going to happen. I couldn't stop reading it! Best hour and half ever all to find out if Sophia is happy!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Tordotcom for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is not one of my favorite Valente books. I didn't know going in that it would be so biblical, although I guess I could have assumed that given the title. It felt more allegorical than Valente's other works, and so I found her characteristic writing to be a bit lacking. Sometimes her writing is so detailed, opinionated even, that it feels like the narrative voice is itself a character; it's one of my favorite things about Valente's books. That felt absent here. Similarly, I found the characters to be rather flat and uninteresting. Despite where it went, I didn't engage with it as much as I would have liked. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but I've loved so many of Valente's books in the past that I come to her works with certain expectations. That's perhaps unfair, but true.

Also, not related to the text of the book at all, but the formatting of this book on Kindle was an absolute nightmare!

What a gloriously weird little novella. I really enjoyed it! I had no idea where it was heading, but once I finished it, I felt I should have! Honestly, to delve into it too much would ruin the experience. I will say that if you’re religious and offended by biblical deviations, this might not be the novel for you.

I started with this on Netgalley, but to be honest, the formatting was absolutely horrendous and almost unreadable. There were random numbers throughout the text that I was unsure if they were supposed to be a mysterious addition to the story. I finally saw that the audiobook was on Hoopla and listened to it! I’m so happy I did—the numbers did seem to be a formatting error. Sometimes these things happen, and I’m glad I didn’t lose out on a great novella! The narrator, Karis Campbell, was the perfect person to give voice to this story.

Comfort Me With Apples was eery, disturbing, and downright devour-able. Something about it just clicked with me! I feel immense satisfaction upon completing this story, although I know it won’t be for everyone. The writing style is so unique but engaging. I’ll definitely be reading more of Catherynne M. Valente. Thanks to @torbooks for getting this book on my radar!

What a totally bananas little novella. This is one of those stories that I went into blind and just had no idea other than it was supposed to be a horror book. I’m glad I did that, because the eerie, atmospheric writing really hooked me and not knowing much about it, I was able to float along the current of the story and discover things along with the MC. I loved the chapter headings, each a different variety of apple.

A very quirky, unique take on an allegory that reminds me of the Stepford wives and vibes like the movie Mother!, this one will definitely surprise you.

Thank you to TorDotCom for this free review copy of Comfort Me with Apples.

Based on the creation myth of Adam and Eve, Comfort Me With Apples is a creepy, immersive story that illustrates the horror and misogyny hiding in the most wholesome places. Sophia is happy in her big home with her distant husband - of course, she lacks the "organ of dissatisfaction" and literally cannot be otherwise. She spends her days cleaning the house and visiting the neighbors, thinking all the while about how wonderful her husband is - until the day she discovers a secret hidden in the very walls of the house. Eerie and lyrical, the horror creeps up on the reader until it becomes overwhelming. Excerpts of the Homeowners Association rules add to the feeling of restrictiveness, while the animal natures of Sophia's neighbors come out in shocking bursts. Highly recommended for fans of The Echo Wife and other cerebral horror.

I am honestly at a loss for words on how to clearly describe my thoughts on this book. Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente is a bizarre short story, one that I apparently did not connect with. While the synopsis of the book sounded intriguing, I felt it was misleading as the actual story is a biblical “retelling”. The writing in the book was lovely, very lyrical and I enjoyed that aspect.

This was... weird. The synopsis makes this seem a lot more thriller-esque, but it's way more allegorical & biblical than I expected. The writing was really lovely & I can't say this is bad, but I spent 3/4 of it confused, and the last 1/4 hoping it'd end in a way that it didn't - so I can't say I'm satisfied with the reading experience either, lol.

I think this would be really neat as an episode of something like the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. It was original and had some cool ideas, and I found the modernization of such an old story really cool - the suburban setting especially was an interesting choice that I enjoyed.

But overall, the surreal aspect of most of this didn't work for me in the format. I'd watch it, but wouldn't read it again.

As a note, I got a copy of this from the publisher / NetGalley - so thank you! But it was also formatted so horribly that it was extremely difficult to read - random line breaks, numbers, dashes, etc everywhere throughout the text. The reading experience may have been a tiny bit more enjoyable if not for this, which I know isn't the author's fault, so I didn't remove any stars for that at all - I did want to note it though in the hopes that proper formatting can be done in the future to lessen the headache of trying to read it. Despite how short this is, I honestly almost gave up like 25% in because of the formatting - really, really hard to get through.

Hey Ava!

I think you'll like this one (and it comes out tomorrow!). It's one of those stories that starts out normal, then gets kind of strange, then subtly creepy, and then smashes headlong into WTF territory when you're too far in to stop. Since it's so short, the effect is doubled! And of course the mystery-ish aspect of trying to get a better sense of what exactly is going on in Acadia Gardens will definitely keep you going.

Alright... I'm... a little embarrassed about how long it took me to figure this one out. It wasn't until I was basically bashed over the head with it that I realized. But let me tell you, once I realized? I suddenly saw all the I had already read with clear eyes, and understanding rushed in carrying a flurry of admirable details that snapped together. Suddenly all those little moments that had seemed odd to me -- but I couldn't quite figure out what was going on -- made sense! Each click came with a tiny spark of satisfaction at the knowing. And damn if that isn't just such a perfect mirror of Sophia's experience in this.

The horror comes from when I realized what Sophia couldn't yet know. Man, when I as the reader know something that the character doesn't? It really gets me riled up! It's like the equivalent of shouting at the characters in a slasher film because *I* know the killer is behind the door they're about to open, but *they* don't know, and I just have to watch helplessly while it happens! The grim knowledge is the thing.

This is a short story (which I didn't realize at first, so just a heads up that this is a quick read), and yet it packs so much into it. Around the middle, I admit I was getting a little fuzzy with it because the strangeness and the (deliberately) unclear writing was wearing me out. And then I came to the moment where everything made sense and I was reinvigorated!

I got this one from NetGalley (thanks Tor!), but as always you know these are my thoughts. :)

Enjoy!!
~Jennifer