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A review by podanotherjessi
salt slow by Julia Armfield
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an interesting collection, and one I think is better read spread out. The stories tended to feel a little repetitive if I read more than 2 in a row; the themes are just a little bit same-y throughout. But the stories were all at least good when taken individually. My complaints were more personal feelings rather than objective flaws in the stories.
Mantis: 4 - There are parts of girlhood in this story I found fundamentally unrelatable. The meanness that so many others find as an inherent part of adolescence is not one I've ever experienced. That said, I can recognize how that connects for a lot of other people. And then the body horror started, and I didn't care any more, and it was incredible.
The Great Awake: 3 - A lovely story, but not one that really drew me in or kept my interest. Ironically (or perhaps intentionally?) I felt like I could have been lulled to sleep by this story.
The Collectables: 4 - Bunny by Mona Awad vibes. Could have been less shallow, maybe more of a corruption than sudden turn. But it was fun to read.
Formally Feral: 5 - Amazing. I love a story that acknowledges the trauma that is female adolescence. This is weird but very interesting.
Stop Your Women's Ears with Wax: 4.5 - Very cool vibes. I would have really enjoyed more from this one, honestly, but it's still good. Chappell Roan would approve.
Granite: 3.5 - This is the point where I realize these stories might be more metaphorical than I'm really prepared to handle. I liked what I thought this was saying about maybe how to love someone is to fear losing them, or how feeling loved can transform a person. But neither message really felt seen through, and the story itself felt rather incomplete.
Smack: 4 - A perfectly fine story about the hardship of divorce. Again, it seems to be talking around the message rather than addressing it directly. At this point, I'm rating on the beauty of the writing.
Cassandra After: 5 - This story packs a lot of uncertainty into a very small package. I wavered the entire time between whether the protagonist or her girlfriend were in the wrong and ultimately just felt like they were wrong for each other. And all this moral quandary in a creepy package!
Salt Slow: 3 - This story is undoubtedly good, but pregnancy things make me so uncomfortable that I found it hard to really pay attention. This is definitely a me thing, and not the story, but none the less.
Mantis: 4 - There are parts of girlhood in this story I found fundamentally unrelatable. The meanness that so many others find as an inherent part of adolescence is not one I've ever experienced. That said, I can recognize how that connects for a lot of other people. And then the body horror started, and I didn't care any more, and it was incredible.
The Great Awake: 3 - A lovely story, but not one that really drew me in or kept my interest. Ironically (or perhaps intentionally?) I felt like I could have been lulled to sleep by this story.
The Collectables: 4 - Bunny by Mona Awad vibes. Could have been less shallow, maybe more of a corruption than sudden turn. But it was fun to read.
Formally Feral: 5 - Amazing. I love a story that acknowledges the trauma that is female adolescence. This is weird but very interesting.
Stop Your Women's Ears with Wax: 4.5 - Very cool vibes. I would have really enjoyed more from this one, honestly, but it's still good. Chappell Roan would approve.
Granite: 3.5 - This is the point where I realize these stories might be more metaphorical than I'm really prepared to handle. I liked what I thought this was saying about maybe how to love someone is to fear losing them, or how feeling loved can transform a person. But neither message really felt seen through, and the story itself felt rather incomplete.
Smack: 4 - A perfectly fine story about the hardship of divorce. Again, it seems to be talking around the message rather than addressing it directly. At this point, I'm rating on the beauty of the writing.
Cassandra After: 5 - This story packs a lot of uncertainty into a very small package. I wavered the entire time between whether the protagonist or her girlfriend were in the wrong and ultimately just felt like they were wrong for each other. And all this moral quandary in a creepy package!
Salt Slow: 3 - This story is undoubtedly good, but pregnancy things make me so uncomfortable that I found it hard to really pay attention. This is definitely a me thing, and not the story, but none the less.