Catherynne M. Valente (Space Opera) delves into the commonalities between two archetypal stories in a dark, sumptuous thriller novella set in a frightening fairytale world.
Every morning, Sophia awakens to "the honeyed, liquid thought" that she was "made for him," her husband. Though frequently away on business, he provides all she could ever want. "It feels like getting away with something, to have so much," including a perfectly ordered community, kind neighbors and a beautiful home. She spends her identical days in a never-ending fog of housekeeping and polite socializing. Sophia wants for nothing, until she finds a brush with long black hair that isn't hers, followed by a bit of bone. Then she wants answers, including what her husband is really keeping in their locked, forbidden cellar. Unfortunately for Sophia, knowledge is a perilous commodity in her world, and her husband's secrets will command a high price.
In chapters titled after evocatively named apple varieties, Valente carefully grafts the fairytale Bluebeard with Judaic mythology for a slim slice of terror that holds up a mirror to the misogyny inherent in many well-known stories. Her decadent, luscious prose is laced with touches of whimsy playing in contrast to the air of creeping suspense. Interspersed excerpts from the community's homeowners association contract provide vaguely threatening reminders that punishment awaits anyone who breaks a rule or expectation. Comfort Me with Apples reminds readers that commonplace tales often hide erased women in their cellars, and the poison in some fruits is simply truth. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads