I was so excited for this one after I adored our wives under the sea, but unfortunately this one didn't hut in the same way. It seemed like the big moment in the book didn't entirely make sense and was underdeveloped. I did appreciate the LGBTQIA representation but the plot needed more work.

Loosely based on <i>King Lear</i>, this is a story of three sisters, Isla, Irene, and Agens, whose abusive father has recently died. Isla and Irene are sisters whose mother died when they were young. Their father remarried and Agnes is their half-sister. The three dislike each other. They live in a dystopian society where it rains constantly. Their father was an architect who designed homes for the wealthy, who are moving to high ground to avoid the flooding. Some people are joining cults, but most are trying to muddle through by going about their usual routines. The narrative focuses on the reunion of the sisters.

It is mostly character driven with a slim plot based around their father’s legacy. There is also an ongoing question of what happened to Agnes’s mother, though I would not call it a typical mystery novel by any stretch. It contains a long slow buildup to a climactic conclusion. I had previously read and admired Armfield’s <i>Our Wives Under the Sea</i>, which led me to request this book. It is well written, but I found it difficult to become invested. I wanted to know more about the society and the “speculative” parts, but it mostly focuses on the sisters, and their traumas, partnerships, and dysfunctions.

Is Julia Armfield going to keep writing novels involving lots of water? I enjoyed her first novel so much because of the eerie atmosphere, cleverly created using the ocean as almost a character. This novel uses seemingly endless rain to create a unique setting and riffs on King Lear, one of my favorites. Armfield really seems to understand families and relationships. The narrator was very good. I'll probably read this again because I feel like I can keep getting more out of it. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

I've never read a Julia Armfield book, and I also haven't read King Lear, but the way she write women facing tragedy is honest and heartbreaking. Tangled up with queerness and the ever-present climate crisis, this was a retelling that didn't ~feel~ like a retelling. The story felt true to the sisters and their experiences and emotions felt real in a way that isn't found often. I will be picking up Salt Slow and Our Wives Under the Water ASAP. Also the narration for this? 10/10 wow

3.5⭐️ rounded up as part of my experience was a “me” issue.

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

The narrator did a fine job with the recitation but she didn’t help the story in it “flat” experience for 85% of the book.

I will say that until the last 50 pages or so I couldn’t tell you what the books purpose was. It dragged and made me disconnect several times.

However, the ending made everything come together and become very thought provoking. This may be the perfect book for those stifling with anxiety as well as strained family relationships.

I may try this again when it comes out on December 3rd and read the physical book rather than listen to it as that may provide for a better experience!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Beyond pleased to say that one of my most anticipated releases of the year did NOT disappoint. I'm completely biased as I already fell in love with Armfield's gorgeous, lyrical prose years ago. I'm also an English lesbian with an architect father, so I could literally be one of the main characters in a heartbeat - and everything from the setting to the humour deeply reflects this type of experience in the world, so it really spoke to me. Literally sometimes since the narration was great. Nothing earth shattering, but I loved the subtlety in the diction; whether it be the funnier bits or the frustration between the sisters. The dynamic between the siblings was one of my favourite parts of the story. Armfield captures the unique impact your siblings have on time and your perception of yourself and each other so beautifully. I need to reread King Lear stat!

This was a very anticipated read for me, Armfields previous book Our Wives Under the Sea was a top read for me last year so maybe my bar was too high.

Julia definitely has an affinity to water and a hang up on drowning, I personally would love to know where this is drawn from because the writing around these themes is vivid and lyrical. But there wasn’t enough understanding or openness in this story for me to be satisfied with the excellent last fifty pages.

I felt adrift and I still am.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.

Audio: the audio narration is very good!

Review: I wanted to like this book so much. I really enjoyed the premise and the idea that the world is getting more and more rain, there was an undertone of climate change and taking care of the earth. Before I dive in, I did not finish this book, I do think I might come back to it much later in life. However, for now I wanted to share my thoughts. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. They shifted and changed too much and at times were hard to tell apart. They have distinctly different lives however, a lot of the details and traits of each character I had a very hard time figuring out who was who and what I should be gaining from their interactions. Because of that, it greatly decreased my enjoyment. I know that this author is supposed to be a very powerful lit fic writer and I don't doubt that's true. However, I had a hard time getting the depth of this novel and I"m really not sure if that's a me problem or not. I generally enjoy hard hitting, slower pace and at times weird stories. Something was very much a miss with this for me... for now.

Mix climate change, a queer King Lear retelling, and Armfield's gorgeous prose, and you have a book that is creepy as heck and as unique as this writer is. Go in blind and enjoy it all.

Three sisters, Isla, Irene, and Agnes, reunite after their architect father's death in a world submerged in relentless rain and ancient practices. As they navigate their own struggles with love and loss, they uncover family secrets that threaten to tear them apart. With their mother's disappearance and mysterious strangers in the mix, the sisters realize they have been chosen for a significant purpose that could have devastating consequences for their family and the world they live in.

This book beautifully explores the complex relationships between three sisters, touching on themes of resentment, dependency, and the impact of parental troubles. The story also delves into the effects of climate change, painting a realistic picture of a world slowly succumbing to disaster. The interplay between personal and global struggles creates a poignant narrative that is both horrifying and relatable. Overall, the book's atmospheric and controlled style makes it a compelling read that leaves a lasting impact on the reader.

As a first-time reader of this author, I eagerly anticipate delving into more of their work in the future. The chosen narrator breathes life into the story, keeping me engaged and thoroughly enjoying the journey through the book.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books for digital and audio ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This novel delves into the lives of three queer sisters, brought together in the aftermath of their father’s death. Set against the haunting backdrop of ceaseless rain slowly flooding the world. The audiobook narration is both impactful and easy to follow, enhancing the emotional depth and immersing listeners in its atmospheric world.

When their famous architect father dies, three estranged sisters are reunited and struggle to navigate their grief and various queer relationships. This also takes place in a world that is slowly flooding due to never ending rain that has upended traditional ways of living. The story has incredible damp, dreary vibes and her writing is seriously otherworldly. A stronger plot would have taken it to the next level though.

3 things to consider while reading my review:
1) this is my first from Armfield
2) I'm discovering I'm much more of a litfic girlie than general fic
3) my family experienced a loss recently that caused a similar inheritance-related riff, this could have tempered some of the novel's power for me

Since I was provided with an ALC I'll start with our narrator, Hannah van der Westhuysen. Hers is a name I'm always happy to see when choosing audiobooks. Her accent is so enjoyable, and I'm still able to understand what's being said at 2x speed. That isn't usually the case with accents I'm not hearing daily (so, anything other than plain 'ol Midwestern. I know, smh). Not only would I recommend Private Rites narrated by her, but anything else you're interested in reading that she's lent her voice to.

Private Rites itself... felt lackluster. Good? Yes. But there wasn't anything that stood out to me as profound.
The way Julia explored grief and the difficulty coming to terms with losing someone who, on the surface, doesn't feel like much of a loss. It's above my paygrade, but I'm going to venture to that say the girls are emotionally abused throughout their childhoods. While the hands doling out the punishment and the methods of carrying out said abuse varies, all 3 daughters are left to grapple with who their parents really are - and have been their entire lives. Once such a polarizing member of their families is no longer a viable option for scapegoat, the stories they've been told - and told themselves - must be reconsidered before/while moving forward.

My biggest problem with Private Rites was the ending, it just...didn't fit. I don't know how else to put it. Too haphazard? Too abrupt? I don't even know. I love the themes here and the variance of perspective brought to them, but this isn't something I'd read again.

Salt Slow & Our Wives Under The Sea are on my physical TBR shelf, so wish me better luck w those, plz!

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Julia Armfield, Hannah van der Westhuysen, Macmillan Audio and Flatiron books for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!}

Received an e-arc audiobook via the publishers and netgalley. This is a spoiler free review.

Set in upon the backdrop of continuous rise of water levels (?) and perpetual storms, Private Rites takes readers through the lives of three estranged sisters on the cusp of their father's death. This is my second read by Julia Armfield and there were so many thought provoking passages in this book for me. Especially from the stand point of being an eldest child who has experienced broken connections and even indifference from close relatives.

Our main characters Isla, the organized eldest sister. Irene, the abrasive and short-tempered middle child. And Agnes, the aloof and indifferent youngest daughter that neither of her sister really know much about.

Their father was this well-known and generally suspenseful architect whose building and structures which allowed the well-off the ability to close themselves off and escape the rest of the world (I took this as an concussion decision to escape the rising water levels and global warming crisis existing around them).

But as readers learn more and more about each sister and the tattered relationship they each had with their father, we begin to realize just how similar they are to one another. And I began to wonder, how strong their relationship might have been if they recognized just how similar they were to each other. Isla, Irene and Agnes had strained and an emotionally abusive and manipulated relationship with their late father in various different ways. And all three girls grew-up in absences of a mother all while living in this grand 'glass' house.

Personally, reading each of their accounts of living in the home would make me think of large prison or box they were all desperate to get away from. So their father's death affect each of them differently. None more so than Isla, the oldest whom seemed aware of her flaws and issues but did not lean into them as much as Irene and Agnes.

And through Isla's bitterness of trying to appease their father and have her life "put together" and in order, causes her outer defenses to crack the fastest I felt because, as the oldest child, she repressed her emotions the most. Whereas, Irene and Agnes who are just as messed up, but only slightly less so because they embrace their flaws more rather than hide from it.

I find this is mostly evident in each sister's romantic relationship in the book. They and their respective partners have this emotional tug of war as the Carmickle (?) sisters consistently keep their partners at arms length. I could go on and on about Armfield structures her characters down to the prickle of a finger. For example, I could easily relate to the uncomfortable feeling that Agnes feels about looking like her mother. As if it is in some subtle way a connection to one's own personality. Like you are preconceived to act just like them and be just like them. When in reality you don't want any such connection to that parent or relative whatsoever.

No detail or nuance left unexplored.

When I got to the last chapter, I found that each of the sisters had their own breakthrough within themselves and their relationship as sisters but at bittersweet cost. Because the pull of the narrative was leading them and the readers in this magnetic direction of iconoclasm revelation of the past and a series of events that led Isla, Irene and Agnes to a share moment in their lives a the peak of one of the worst storms and floods yet.

Overall, Private Rites at the forefront harbors themes of abandonment, loneliness, depression, isolation, a desperation for closeness, connection and love. This is a spoiler free review, but I find it important to mention the undercurrents of religion/cult presence in the narrative as the story progresses, for readers to be aware of.

The largest failure with this book is the cult. Other than the bookends, it was so scarcely referenced that it almost felt like it was added in at the very end of the writing process simply because we needed an excuse to end things.

I had a hard time following what happened in the present versus what was flashbacks to childhood. I also wanted to see more of the actual apocalypse beyond an incident on the ferry (which could just as easily happened on a commuter train) and the ending. Like, why was it so important that this take place during the slow inexorable flooding of the world?

Unlike in Our Wives Under the Sea, where the poetic meanderings into body horror kept me fascinated and repulsed, Private Rites relies heavily on each sister’s internal monologues (and intrusive thoughts) to both carry the story and remind the reader that yes actually this is technically literary horror and not just a family drama set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. There were some funny one-liners as Isla or Irene or occasionally Agnes thought something absolutely bananas, but they were also one or two very poignant lines (again, I think Our Wives did this much better).

The writing itself is beautiful and enjoyable. Love that it’s inextricably queer. Just don’t think there was enough plot or structure to hold me

Reading the synopsis had me excited to read this, expecting post-apoc or dystopian vibes and a mystery. However, in reading it, I found I had to really force myself. It was rather dull, literally putting me to sleep and having to be restarted several times … only for me to still have to force myself to see this book through.

The dystopian vibes just aren’t there for most of it. Once in a while something will be said that made me go ‘oh yea, this isn’t contemporary’ but mostly, the world-building was lacking or it just felt like the ‘real world’.

I found no mystery in this, other than the mystery of ‘why is this so dull’. Though I solved that one, I think. Likely it’s due to ‘telling’ writing style instead of showing.

Not bad per se, but not for me.

2-3 stars for the content.

Audio:
Okay. Overall clear sound quality. The narrator had a smooth, pleasant voice, however sounded a bit robotic. 3 stars for the audio production.