arianna_magg 's review for:

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

3.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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i’m struggling to know how to rate this one. i enjoyed the apocalyptic overtone and setting, and i think armfield does a really great job of conveying the reality of that kind of dread and doom in a very palpable way. i think armfield also has a knack for creating complex and heartbreakingly human characters, and i felt like she portrayed a lot of the legitimate ache and longing that can exist in families, specifically siblings, that have navigated traumas in similar yet unique ways. i felt a bit put off by the pacing of this text, though; it has a very slow build up and a rapid, erratic ending. while i am fairly content with the mystery of the ending itself, it all just happened really fast. there is a quote from the text that inquires how much the sisters can blame their father for how they have come to be, and how much of how they have come to be is their own responsibility; i think that also reflects in the text’s commentary on climate change, and the human experience of not wanting to have to reap the suffering of choices perhaps we ourselves had no say in, but ultimately have to take initiative on in order to sustain ourselves and our planet.