A review by carlycormier_
salt slow by Julia Armfield

dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

”The ocean empties, a thousand dead and dying invertebrates, jungled tentacles and fine, fragile membranes blanketing the shore two miles in each direction. They are translucent, almost spectral, as though the sea has exorcised its ghosts. Drowned in air, they break apart and bleed their interiors. A saturation, leeching down into the earth."


I don't believe I have ever read a short story collection before... salt slow was quite the first choice! I would pick it up every now and then to read a story or two when I wanted a break from whatever else I was doing/reading. Armfield's prose is quite unique and unlike most of what I’ve read before. These stories all feel quite normal as if they are happening within our own world, but then there is one small aspect that sets off the balance of nature, making you feel uneasy at times.

Intelligent and gripping, yet off-putting and slightly horrifying.

My favorites were: The Great Awake, Granite, and Smack. I would highly recommend this to those who are looking for something to shake up their genre choices or are interested in a fresh voice (or those who simply want to drool over beautiful cover art). Can't wait to read more from Armfield!
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