REVIEW BY LANNIE STABILE
Lovers of Greek mythology will recognize the tale of the Golden Apple of Discord. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite are all squabbling over the golden apple, which supposedly belongs to the fairest of them. Zeus, dodging the impossible task himself, challenges Paris, the Prince of Troy, to decide among the three. Each goddess tries to sweeten the deal, offering sex, money, rock and roll…but Aphrodite offers the mortal the most beautiful woman on Earth, Helen of Troy. Paris can’t resist seeing beautiful women as objects, trades Aphrodite the golden apple, and they abduct Helen from her home. Therefore, sparking the Trojan War.
In Apple Skin, Kelsie Colclough gives this myth a bit of a spin. The presentation of the Golden Apple is now a tradition in the city of Troy, and the young girl Prim, daughter of the last recipient and presenter of the apple, is tasked with choosing the most beautiful woman. With only a few hours left before the ceremony, Prim wanders the city, trying to decide who to give the apple to.
As she wanders, Prim runs into each candidate, and as expected, they try to sway Prim to choose them. Pearl proposes matchmaking, Amy proposes career advice, and Olive proposes sound reasoning, which offers insight into which of the girls is meant to represent Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
All in all, it’s a one for one exchange of the original myth, albeit more fleshed out, modern, and quietly queer. The most notable update in this story is that Prim has a penchant for photography, chocolate, and K-dramas.
If you’re looking for something short, sweet, and perhaps a little predictable, Apple Skin is a quick boost of serotonin.