emilyinherhead 's review for:

Salt Slow by Julia Armfield

4.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

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I’m delighted to report that this debut story collection has the same deliciously something’s-not-quite-right-here feeling of Armfield’s novel Our Wives Under the Sea, which was one of my favorites from 2022. Armfield has a real gift with language—she’s so good at creating an unsettling mood, and her descriptions are sometimes unexpected but always strangely apt.

The night is wide, uncurving, like the Earth might be flat and walkable from end to distant end. (89)

These stories range in subject from a Catholic schoolgirl who becomes a mantis, to a woman who defiantly moves into a beach house belonging to the husband she is divorcing, to an all-female rock band whose shows somehow always lead to violence against area men, to a girl whose parents raise a wolf alongside her as a sister.

But there are common themes of transformation, queerness, power, and the sea, and I was left with a feeling that was equal parts thrilled and disgusted. The vibes aren’t too far off from State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg, or Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett, so if you’re into those, definitely check this one out.