Private Rites

julia armfield never misses for me, but I found what was happening in the background (a drowned world, the mold-like growth of cults, the alternating need for despair and disconnect in times of crisis) a richer text than our three protagonists. it was like getting glimpses of a more interesting story happening over their shoulders before the narrative inevitably steered me back to their infighting. the ending felt a bit rushed, disjointed, and ultimately unsatisfying, but much of my critique comes from the fact that our wives under the sea is such a knockout.

This story is a bleak and honest exploration of a dying water-laden world in which the grief and childhood trauma of three estranged sisters following the death of their father leads them to the discovery of long-hidden secrets that threaten to rip them apart in more ways than one. 

What did I just read? Genuinely I have no idea. 

It was a world ending book which is what drew me in. I adore that genre. And honestly I did love the slow burn world build dread. 

However I thought it was leading up to some big finish and the finish... It was exactly as I predicted and also answered nothing. 

I wanted to love this so much and though many times I got tempted to DNF because nothing was happening, I also had to know what happened. Honestly wish I hadn't. 

Thank you NetGalley and FlatIron Books for the ARC.

“She cries – perhaps – because her father once told her she was spiteful and parents, she has always felt, should have to like their children more than that”

⭐️

I wish I loved anything like Julia Armfield loves water.

Her latest is a queer take on King Lear (and also a particular recent-ish British movie that it would be massive spoiler to name) across a backdrop of climate change (which is a little annoyingly not really explored - I just kept thinking that if it's raining this much, what food is growing and why hasn't everyone starved to death?). It's powerfully written, and you will feel distinctly soggy while reading. I did find the characters in this one a lot less relatable or even likeable than in Our Wives Under The Sea, which is fine, as not everything needs to be a cosy cuddle fest, but at the same time it doesn't have the unsettling vibe of the earlier novel. It's a good book, but maybe doesn't quite match the expectations I had after the debut. I'll still be around for the next one though.