Review: Black River Orchard

5 stars. In the small town of Harrow, PA, a new type of apple, grown and sold by local Dan Paxson, becomes intensely popular. Everyone who tastes it - has just one bite - becomes obsessed, not just with the apple, but with the way it makes them feel (better, stronger, powerful). But it also makes people sharper, meaner, more ruthless - especially towards those who refuse to eat the apples themselves. The fight for Harrow (or battle, maybe) escalates when it becomes clear that the apples are addictive, and vindictive, and in control - and the orchard trees have a bigger plan in mind: TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

Weird, playful, and incredibly well-written, this book is a home run for spooky season. It's a small town-encounters-giant evil sort of story, and it goes hard. We have a large cast of characters, double prologues and multiple interludes, flashbacks, a very long build-up and a very long climax, high stakes, absolutely disgusting imagery, and a badass ending. We have a grizzled veteran who teams up with a messy lesbian, and they eventually team up with a smart teenager and a kinky resident... which is all super delightful. We also have apple monsters.

I think it's really cool that a sexually progressive couple is depicted so positively, and so prominently - central to this story. Their preferences and behaviors furthered the story along, triggered narrative movement and fit nicely into the idea that the apples encourage folks to wield their prejudice and hatred. These folks are not kinky for the sake of being kinky: it's not box-check-y, or too preachy. Wendig never shies away from representation and I admire that.

One other thing: the Wendig of it all. I've written about Wacky Wending, and Wise Wendig, before; I went in with eyes wide open. There's something really undoubtedly refreshing about the way he makes it feel like this world - fantastical elements and all. He certainly has his viewpoints (which I share) and the book isn't commentary-free, and it was kind of nice to see some real, familiar, honest anxieties and depictions of our society reflected back. Social media is part of the story and referenced heavily; not only do the young characters use accurate(ish) slang, they behave and converse in ways teens do. Writing young people is hard, and he's okay at it.

Chuck Wendig has gotten close to feeling like Stephen King before, and he's closer still with this one. It takes real talent to put a story like this together. I was totally charmed, totally engrossed, totally invested and totally confused about how he pulled off the ridiculous premise - one that only increased in ridiculousness - in such a compelling way. I'm in the midst of a move and late stage pregnancy, and I couldn't fucking wait to get back to it. I'm bummed it's over. I would love a sequel, or a spin-off. Or maybe an adaptation, if anyone dares. 

Black River Orchard on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads