Comfort Me with Apples

I thought about this and am changing this to five stars, or I guess 4.5 rounded up, whichever. It's just so clever and the writing is luscious.

So the rest rest of my thoughts are spoilers:
Loved Adam being this man child, Sophia's 'I was made for him' being literal, the residents' names being animals, and the chapters having apple names. I also appreciated the other mentions of red fruits and the commentary on lying. "The key turns easily in the lock, because Cascavel only pretends to enjoy lies, and she knew it when he said it. The truth hurts so much better."I thought that Karen's comparison to the Blue Beard fairy tale was apt; as I was reading I compared it to the Epic of Gilgamesh at times for the themes of civilized vs wild/savage.

Listened to this and enjoyed it all over again (spring 2024)