Comfort Me with Apples

 Comfort Me With Apples is being described as a terrifying new thriller written by bestselling author,  Catherynne M. Valente.  There is a feeling of suspense and dread as you read this thin novel.  The plot is definitely building toward the uncovering of a mystery.

Sophia wakes every morning and her first thought is , I was made for him. She is convinced her husband is perfect. 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 begin to appear in the house.  She starts to have dark thoughts. 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....  She is very popular with the neighbors, Mrs Orpington and Mrs. Palfrey and the others.  

They  all live in Arcadia Gardens and there are quite a number of rules for living in this perfect setting. Each chapter starts off with some rules, like no walking on the grass and no children are allowed to live here. The novella is short and you need to pay close attention to the details to discover the secret to the story.  I read through once and then had to go back and see the multitude of clues that I missed the first time.

I  do not want to ruin the plot for you so I highly recommend you pick up this short book, but I will not give you anymore details.