Reviews

Thank you to the publisher for an advance digital copy of Private Rites, via Netgalley.

Private Rites follows Isla and Irene, two sisters in their thirties, and their younger half-sister Agnes, in her early twenties, in a very near future where it has been raining for over a decade and most parts of the world are entirely flooded. The population largely refuses to address this problem head on, still dutifully commuting to work on ferries, paying their rent, and living in the upper floors of high-rise buildings. Many of the rich live in custom-built buildings on higher hills where the "ground" still exists as a concept. The sisters' largely-estranged father was an architect who designed these buildings, and his death precipitates the plot and the sisters trying (or avoiding) to reconnect with each other.

This is a very quiet novel and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the rain feels very present both in the way the characters acknowledge it and the way they don't. It is mostly a slice of life with the added drama of the sisters navigating relationships between each other and their partners. There is however a slight creepy mystery surrounding Agnes - who was her mother and why does she seem to be being watched?

It's the slice of life and relationships that I most enjoyed about this book; in the last 20 pages or so the book suddenly goes from 0 to 100 and a development that I wasn't massively expecting happens. It felt like I had started reading a completely new book and I don't think I really liked the sudden shift and change in pace.

As a quiet but ever-present climate apocalypse novel, this was excellent and is one of my favourites of the year for that. The writing was so good, Armfield is really a master of her craft. The ending does bring down my rating as it felt out of place for me and doesn't fit with my own interpretation of the book.

"Attempting to recall when it was that people realised the emergency was already upon them, the warning signs noted then duly forgotten in favour of squabbling about small things, about taxes and football championships and protests that caused offence or caused traffic, of doggedly ploughing a course."

chrisseyreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

maddy_brown99's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Going to post a more full review closer to pub date

Thanks to Flatiron and NetGalley for my digital ARC!

whatsmomreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

thank you to NetGalley & Flat Iron Booms for this eARC of Private Rites, it’s available everywhere December 3rd 2024

The rain hasn’t stopped in over 15 years. Floodings, homes collapsed, roads closed and ramshackled attempts to piece together public transportation has become the norm in our unnamed city. Everyone is turning to what they can for comfort; protests, religions, cults. An architect, Stephen Carmichael, has been developing and building new infrastructure in order to combat these floodings and lived within a masterpiece he designed himself and where he ‘raised’ his three daughters.

The estranged sisters - Isla, Irene and Agnes - mostly keep to themselves in their corners of the city when they receive the news of their father’s passing. As the sift through his life, his work, the passing of Isla & Irene’s mother and the disappearance of Agnes’ mother shortly after Agnes’ birth, the sisters come together at the end of times to reckon with what was left to them.

I don’t know if I quite got what I was looking for going into this novel but it surely didn’t disappoint. I felt like Armfield was not only examining the dynamics of these three sisters and the way they treated each other into adulthood but how they treated each other under the looming idea that the end of the world was near. There were so many thoughts and feeling expressed by each sister that felt similar to thoughts so many had during the lockdown/stay at home orders so it felt like such a timely novel.

There was so much build up and tension to this feeling of the characters being watched, I was hoping at some points we’d go ahead and get on with what was to come next but when the ‘gotcha’ moment came it did not disappoint!

I’m excited to read more of Julia Armfield’s work and really enjoyed her writing style.

bisexualbookshelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Julia Armfield’s "Private Rites" immerses readers in an eerie, atmospheric blend of psychological horror and intricate family dynamics. From the opening chapter, the novel establishes a palpable tension and a deep sense of unease that only intensifies as the story unfolds. Armfield's prose is strikingly beautiful, luring readers into a world where every detail feels meticulously crafted to build suspense and foreboding.

The novel centers on the lives of three estranged sisters—Isla, Irene, and Agnes—who are drawn back to their family home following their father's death. Each sister is vividly characterized, their individual struggles and complex relationships with one another brought to life through Armfield’s deft storytelling. Isla, the therapist with self-destructive tendencies, Agnes, the reluctant heir, and Irene, grappling with her own past and present, form a triad of compelling and deeply flawed protagonists.

Armfield excels at creating a chilling atmosphere. The horror elements are subtle, often lurking just beneath the surface of the sisters’ interactions and memories. The recurring imagery of rain and floods adds to the sense of an impending environmental apocalypse, tying the personal tragedies of the sisters to a larger, almost biblical catastrophe.

However, the novel’s structure occasionally feels disjointed. The interludes set in the City, while beautifully written, initially seem like clumsy world-building dumps. As the story progresses, these sections start to make more sense, contributing to the dystopian setting, yet their integration could have been smoother. The alternating points of view within chapters can be jarring, shifting rapidly between the sisters and the City’s cryptic passages, sometimes causing confusion.

One of the novel’s strengths lies in its exploration of sisterhood and familial roles. The sisters are trapped in their childhood dynamics, unable to escape the roles imposed on them by their father and their shared history. Armfield delves into how unresolved family trauma shapes their identities and relationships, a central thesis that resonates deeply throughout the narrative.

Despite the atmospheric tension and strong character development, some elements of the plot remain frustratingly ambiguous.

The involvement of a religious cult, hinted at through various characters and plot points, never fully coalesces into a clear or satisfying explanation. The mystery surrounding Agnes’s mother and the cult’s apocalyptic intentions feel underdeveloped, leaving readers with more questions than answers.

This ambiguity, while intriguing, sometimes tips into confusion, detracting from the novel’s overall impact.

Nonetheless, Armfield’s ability to blend horror with a poignant examination of family dynamics makes "Private Rites" a compelling read. The environmental disaster backdrop and the sisters' struggle against their past and each other create a narrative that is both haunting and thought-provoking. The book’s final act,

particularly Isla’s sacrifice

, adds a layer of emotional depth and resolution that, despite the lingering ambiguities, brings a satisfying conclusion to the sisters’ tumultuous journey.

In conclusion, "Private Rites" is a beautifully written and deeply atmospheric novel that will appeal to fans of psychological horror and literary fiction. While it may not reach the same heights as Armfield’s previous work, "Our Wives Under the Sea", it remains a testament to her skill as a storyteller. With its rich prose and complex characters, it’s a novel that digs deep and forces the reader to think about love, loss, and how we can all keep going together.

📖 Recommended For: Fans of Psychological Horror and Literary Fiction, Readers Fascinated by Complex Family Dynamics, Admirers of Atmospheric and Eerie Prose, Fans of Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects and the TV show “Succession.”

🔑 Key Themes: Familial Trauma and Dysfunction, Psychological Horror and Supernatural Elements, The Impact of Environmental Catastrophe, Exploration of Sisterhood and Identity, The Weight of Grief and Memory.

Content Warnings

readingwithgoose's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Armfield's writing is absolutely stunning as always, and she creates an atmosphere so perfectly. I also thought the characters felt real and layered and interesting to follow around. However, even I, as someone who likes a bit of ambiguity in books, found it to be too much in this case. I could've used more explicitness in a few places to clear up some of my confusion.
I think I might like it better upon reread, tbh. Overall, I would still recommend this book to fans of her other works.

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