Apex Hides the Hurt is a meditation on the nature of naming. In mythology and folklore, giving something a name is associated with power: In the Bible, God gives the first man Adam the ability to name other creatures to cement his power over them; in fairy tales, learning the name of an entity like Rumpelstiltskin counters its magic. In politics and science, naming bestows ownership: For a long time, diseases were named after the doctors who first identified them; European travelers renamed the lands they encountered, considering them unclaimed territory.

In the novel, the protagonist’s profession divorces names from the objects they describe—the power of naming is separated from ownership. In the novel’s version of consumer culture, a product’s name is a key factor in its success, regardless of quality. Whitehead often mines comedy from this dissociation: By turning Luno into New Luno, the soft drink appealed to a younger demographic; giving a luxury automobile the meaningless name of “Q 100” added an air of prestige and mystique. Most menacingly, the protagonist fondly remembers coming up with the name “Redempta” (35), which led to his promotion—but the reader never learns what product was sold under this suggestive branding.