jitterbugsnap 's review for:

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

4.0

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I did struggle to stay engaged with this, even though I love Armfield's writing so much. But even though it took me a while to get through it, it was well worth the read. Very atmospheric, as she's wont to do. I really enjoyed the commentary inherent to setting a family drama in a world undergoing great catastrophe. I loved that it was full of queer characters, but it wasn't about queer identity (sometimes the world is collapsing and i'm mad at my sisters and yeah we're all gay

lol the throwaway line at the funeral where one of them was like "yes, all of us" was so funny

) 

reading this at a time when i was dealing with one mold spot in my basement had me SO STRESSED for the incredible amount of mold everywhere in their environment