Secrets run in the Family.
Apples Never Fall Book Review.
The TV Adaptation of Apples Never Fall follows The Delaney family- Mother and Father Joy (Anette Bening, Captain Marvel) and Stan (Sam Neill, Flack) and their four adult children Amy (Alison Brie, Happiest Season), Troy (Jake Lacy, The White Lotus), Logan (Conor Merrigan Turner) and Brooke (Essie Randles)– as their lives are thrown into turmoil after Joy seemingly disappears without a trace. The family had previously ran a successful tennis coaching school but after Joy and Stan chose to retire they found themselves stuck in a rut, eventually taking in stranger off the street Savannah (Georgia Flood, American Princess) after she came to their door bloodied and frantic.
The next few months see Savannah becoming part of the family (much to the annoyance of the siblings) before she then disappeared with a trace all over again, shortly followed by Joy’s own disappearance. The siblings then begin to wonder whether she could be involved but the police pay more attention to Stan, especially after he appears with a scratch on his face and refuses to answer their questions. As the investigation wears on secrets begin to come out and the Delaney siblings realise how much they are all hiding from each other. In the end though only one person really knows where Joy is and the family must put aside their differences if they ever hope to see her again.
Apples Never Fall has never been my favourite of Moriarty’s novels (although it’s far from my least favourite either) but I was still interested to see how the show would be adapted, especially with the success of her previous book to TV adaptations (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers). I do think because it’s been nearly two years since I did first read and because the plot never massively stuck with me I did forget some parts of the story and so I did kind of enjoy reliving this mystery again, as though for the first time. Apart from the characters themselves the only thing I really remembered was that Joy didn’t actually die and so this was still enjoyable for me as both a mystery and a direct adaptation. Like I said the book was never a top read for me but I think like with all of Moriarty’s adaptations it ended up being a fun watch overall.
The Delaney family and their relationships with each other were completely central to the series and I really enjoyed the performances from each, some of the characters weren’t exactly how I pictured them when first reading but I think each actor was able to make the character their own. I liked how we got a central episode for each family member, exploring their own history as well as their reactions to Joy’s disappearance and how they then dealt with this. I do think I would have liked if Savannah herself also had a more in-depth episode but on the whole I enjoyed the sibling’s dynamic and their growing suspicion of Stan throughout.
I enjoyed Savannah as a character and I think because it had been so long since I first read I had actually forgotten what her motivations were and whether her intentions were good or bad. In this regard I got to figure out the character alongside the Delaney siblings and I did really like the mystery of this complete stranger planting herself into Joy and Stan’s lives. The situation itself was just bizarre and I think that Flood did a great job at portraying this morally questionable person who could have been either a harmless stranger or someone out to hurt the family. I think even in spite of the end reveal Savannah still had her good qualities and I did really love her relationship with Joy, it was complex and messy and perfect for a mystery drama.
One of the things I do remember liking the most from the book was the Delaney family dynamic and a lot of the flashbacks exploring the sibling’s childhoods and relationships with each other. Despite focussing on Joy’s disappearance Apples Never Fall was never your classic mystery in the same way an Agatha Christie novel would be and instead the book really focussed on the family and their own issues with each other, unfortunately I do think this is one aspect that the TV series failed on. Like I said the mystery was never really at the book’s forefront but I think the show changes this and amps up the criminal elements, forgoing a lot of the character development in the process. We get next to no family flashbacks and most of the stuff with Harry (Giles Matthey, 1BR) and the tennis environment is watered down or omitted completely. Instead the show treats this as your classic mystery thriller when really that was never what the book was about (to me anyway). I loved learning about these characters and their very messy history but so much of that isn’t in the show and I do think it’s a shame.
Overall this was a pretty decent adaptation and whilst Apples Never Fall was never my favourite Moriarty novel I do think that the show did a great job at adapting the story for TV and retelling the narrative in a different way. Whilst the casting overall was good and I enjoyed the performances throughout I wish we’d gotten a little more family focus rather than so much on the mystery of Joy’s disappearance. I did still enjoy watching though and I definitely look forward to whichever of Moriarty’s books gets adapted next (I’m personally crossing my fingers for The Last Anniversary!).
Ramblings of a Supposed Writer 