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This little book retells the Biblical creation story, leads up to the time of Noah, and presages the New Testament incarnation of Jesus. The apple, we are told, represents the evil that came into the world through the temptation and fall of Eve and then Adam. Author Ron Martin, a poet and short story writer, theorizes that the Tree of Knowledge was "ugly beyond description" with only two apples on it, one for each of the newly created humans. When they ate this fruit, they suddenly "became enlightened and had free will." Though he loves humanity, God did not prevent this from happening, but once it was done, all people thereafter would die, even God's son. The story shifts to Cain and Abel and the sin that Cain inherited. Moving then to Noah, Martin depicts a simple carpenter who loved God and believed he could help people repent and follow God as he did.
This slim volume makes interesting, but rather frustrating, reading. The promise quoted above from the first page—that the reader will find out about oranges later—is unfulfilled. No comparison is made, no explanation given, only a statement on the last page that, "Apples and oranges were to be placed in the ark…" The author writes in simple, comprehensible prose, sometimes inserting modern catchphrases ("It was not right to fool with Mother Nature.") for amusing effect. But he is prone to making theologically questionable statements, such as that though Jesus loved the Jews, "they were the ones who would nail him to that cross." Perhaps in a longer work, Martin could have provided a greater clarity about the concepts that motivate him. Apples and Oranges aims to impart new spiritual meaning to traditional Bible stories, and may provide inspiration to some readers.