4.5 ⭐️

Julia Armfield is back at it again with sad ocean lesbianism, this time with 100% more apocalypse and x3 times the lesbians.

Private Rites follows three sisters—all lesbians—as they navigate the death of their architect father, the ghosts of their childhood, and their complex relationships with each other and their lovers. Meanwhile, the flood has come; their city is mostly underwater thanks to global warming, and the constant rain only wears the city down more and more. People cram themselves into smaller and smaller spaces, ride boats to get to work, and business close when the rain stops.

I once described Armfield’s previous novel, Our Wives Under the Sea, as quintessential lesbian tragedy, and I would say that Private Rites falls into that category as well, though in this case ‘tragedy’ works in the classical sense as well.

Evidently it is a King Lear retelling, which I didn’t fully know until about 15% in. I haven’t read King Lear, so I am not sure how it compares or what elements the novel pulls—I definitely want to read King Lear and give Private Rites a reread in the future so I can more fully understand how Armfield adapts and comments upon the source material.

I absolutely loved this novel. Armfield’s prose, appropriately, is oceanic—melancholy as an empty sea, wrathful as storm-lashed waters, and able to calm or rough in the blink of an eye. For some reason, Private Rites in particular reminded me a bit of Disco Elysium, in the sense that there is this sad, struggling world impacted by uncontrollable, inevitable disaster caused by human action, and despite this terrible pressure mundanity continues on. (The sections of PR where the city speaks helps this as well, of course. I’m a sucker for a perhaps-sentient city zeitgeist narrator.)

(Non-specific discussion of the ending below, spoilers for Our Wives Under the Sea)
The main aspect of this novel that keeps me from giving a full five stars is the execution of the ending—something which, on reflection, was also present in Our Wives Under the Sea as well. The ending of PR feels very sudden and has a major tonal shift. It does not come out of nowhere, per say—the elements are certainly built and foreshadowed plenty—but there is just something about how extremely suddenly the narrative swerves into an ending that just felt slightly out of place with the rest of the books in terms of pacing and tone. For some reason, to me—despite it having all the same characters and the same setting and the same themes—it feels like the ending to a genre novel, not a literary one.

And don’t get me wrong, I love a genre novel! I’m a huge genre fan! But when the book is a slow character study and the ending is almost an action movie, it just leaves me feeling like “…huh?”

Like I said, this was present in Our Wives Under the Sea as well. We have this grief-filled, wonderfully weird, quiet tragedy of a character study between Miri and Leah, and a beautifully tragic ending of letting Leah go, into the sea. But then there’s also the ending plot point of Miri maybe joining forces with another person who lost a loved one to the sea expedition to investigate and eventually take down this corporation, which feels more like the beginning to a genre sci-fi than the end to a literary novel with sci-fi/horror elements.

I don’t necessarily dislike the ending to either plot-wise. The endings just didn’t have room to breathe or settle, especially in the case of Private Rites—like the narrative realized it only had one more chapter to wrap things up so it had to jam everything into way too small a space. It just felt a little unsatisfying.

I’m already looking forward to the next Armfield book—there are elements I’ve noticed in both her novels so far, both in terms of broad thematics, images, and major/minor plot elements (@ me if you want to talk about the role play forums), and I’m desperate to pattern-seek in whatever she writes next.

Overall this is another win for the weird oceanic lesbian literature lovers !! Julia Armfield thank you for my life !!!!

thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley. all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

After reading OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA and now PRIVATE RITES, it's pretty clear Julia Armfield has her bread and butter - gay folks and water metaphors that get marketed as horror books but are not. Which, slay. She does it well. Armfield writes great prose and I enjoy how she develops relationships in her plots. This book was no different. I thought this premise was very interesting (as someone who doesn't read a lot of cli-fi).

The pace here was definitely on the slower side and I didn't find any of the characters to be overly likeable (although they were very realistic). The one thing that threw me here was the last 20 or so pages of the book where the genre takes a wild left turn that I wasn't expecting and didn't particularly care for; it left me with more questions than answers and felt like a rather abrupt way to end a very slow paced, low-action plot.

I think OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA was slightly superior to this novel, but this is by no means a bad work. If you enjoyed one, you will likely enjoy the other. Excited to see what Armfield does in the future.

The end of the world isn't freezing... or firey... it's soggy. At least, that's what Julia Armfield imagines in Private Rites. Apartment buildings are actively rotting while tenants eye the water levels outside. Homes are crumbling as the sopping wet ground disintegrates beneath their weight. People still get their morning coffee as the world is swept away beneath their feet. Armfield's end of the world is mundane with business as usual.

The three main characters of the novel, Isla, Irene, and Agnes, are just trying to live their mundane lives while the world is ending. Private Rites begins with the death of their father, an architectural icon. The story floats along as the sisters grapple with their trauma, uneasy relationships with each other, and romantic entanglements. This book, ultimately, is about family. It's about how having a family sucks, but also how sometimes family is the only thing keeping you afloat when the world is pulling you under. I loved this look at sisterly relationships.

All three sisters are the worst in their own ways. They've grown under the weight of childhood trauma and confusion due to their parents and the drowning world they live in. It can be tedious to read about three characters who are angry and guarded, but it rang true for me. Trauma (especially childhood trauma) messes with your brain in ways you don't even realize until you're grown. Seeing yourself at your worst, but unable to course-correct is a different form of drowning.

It took me a while to get through this book, but I don't think this is a story you can binge. It's heavy, sad, and existential. I had to come up for air after only a short time reading to reorient myself. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a familial story that is set as our world is ending.

Thank you to Julia Armfield and Flatiron Books via Netgalley for a free eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Armfield’s previous book, Our Wives Under The Sea. There was such a heart to that novel, it ached and felt like a bruise. But her latest novel left something to be desired for me. I struggled to tell the characters apart in the audiobook, but realized while reading the ebook that I didn’t feel connected to them at all. I kept putting the book down and having to drag myself back to it. Eventually I had to throw in the towel and say that this one wasn’t my favorite.

2.5 ⭐️

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I had read "Our Wives Under the Sea" by Julia months prior and really really enjoyed it. I cried and I was creeped out. It was a wonderful weird girl book. When I heard of the release of "Private Rites," I was so so excited.

This book was beautifully written. Julia is an amazing writer. Like OWUTS, I expected a slow burn plot. I expected it to be unrushed in pace, but once I neared the ending, I knew with certainty that it would pull me in and thrill me. I did not get that here. The book was extremely sluggish and never really hit for me. I waited and waited. I ended up having to take a long break halfway through because I had lost interest. It took me months to finish. The characters were all unlikeable to me. Three bratty, selfish, and gay sisters. I wasn't relating to the story. There wasn't any suspense/weirdness/creepiness to hold my attention like I had hoped for.

The book was marketed as a dystopian novel. Again, I did not get that here. There was mention of the world under water, but that is not what this book was focused on. That detail was so minor in comparison to the sisters' relationships, with partners, and each other. This book was really about sisters who have grown distant and they lose a father. It's about grief. It's about coming to terms with a less than perfect childhood. It's about parental disappointment. OWUTS also reflected so much grief, but it had that eeriness mixed in that made it breathtaking. The emotions and thoughts of the sisters were repetitive. The ending was beyond quick and unexplained. This was literary fiction, not literary horror.

Overall, I am disappointed and sad.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for early access to the audiobook & ebook of this book! I truly appreciate the opportunity!

Private Rites has a narrative style that often feels similar to a stage play, with an omniscient narrator and several chapters that feel especially like stage direction told in prose— the chapter ‘Before,’ and those labeled ‘City,’ for example. It is easy to see the influence of King Lear, which Private Rites does reimagine successfully, I think, despite some major changes to the tragedy (which is not unusual in a reimagining versus a retelling). The prose is rich and evocative, and while I wouldn’t call it horror, it does oscillate between a vague sense of unease and a more palpable dread. A sense of treading water and then drowning, literally and metaphorically.

The protagonists- sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes- are flawed and at times frustrating to endure, though I wouldn’t call them unlikeable overall. Private Rites does spend a majority of its length exploring the minutiae of each of their lives as they navigate the waterlogged end-times, and they are characterized so well that it seems as though they might swim from the page into being. The setting, despite never being named anything more specific by the text than ‘City’ or ’the city,’ also feels similarly tangible, like it could be a place that exists in the present rather than a work of fiction. The novel in general feels very relevant, which only amplifies the sense of dread looming (and building) beneath the narrative’s surface.

I’ve already placed a library hold on the audiobook, because I truly loved the narrative style of Private Rites, and think it would be so well-suited to the audiobook format.

I love Julia Armfield, and will read anything she writes. Private Rites was exceptional - a novel I will be recommending far and wide and thinking about for a long time.

This ended up being a power through the book type of situation. I found it to be very slow, and the three sisters annoyed me. Last 10% or so was great, and I loved the ending. Unfortunately, it didn’t make up for the first 90% of the book.

this was a satisfying read in many ways: its acknowledgment of the horror that is daily life under climate change and political uncertainty, in being character-driven while remaining entertaining, its moments of total eerieness. i did want a little more from this, but i enjoyed it all the same.

*Private Rites* by Julia Armfield is a haunting and immersive exploration of human desire, intimacy, and transformation. With her characteristic blend of the surreal and the deeply emotional, Armfield delves into the complexities of relationships, using both tenderness and unsettling imagery to explore the tension between longing and alienation.

The novella is centered on the lives of two women, whose connection evolves through a series of mysterious and almost mystical rituals. These "rites" are not just metaphysical; they are intimately tied to their emotional and psychological states, reflecting the way we often seek to control or alter our lives in the pursuit of meaning or relief. The narrative feels both deeply personal and universal, drawing the reader into a world where the boundaries of the self and the other blur.

Armfield’s writing is lyrical, with vivid, almost tactile descriptions that draw you into the characters' internal landscapes. Her exploration of bodies, rituals, and the strange, quiet terror of intimacy creates a lingering atmosphere of both beauty and discomfort. The tension between the characters feels real, and the eerie, dreamlike quality of the story makes it both engrossing and unsettling.

At its heart, *Private Rites* is about transformation—how we grow, change, or sometimes lose ourselves in the process of relating to others. It’s a meditation on the hidden corners of the self that we don’t always understand, but are always trying to reconcile. Armfield crafts a world that feels both delicate and dangerous, drawing the reader into its quiet, powerful depths.

My Selling Pitch:
Fleabag’s sisterly dysfunction meets dystopian cult horror vaguely meets King Lear. A slow burn, fever dream, banger.

Pre-reading:
I loved Our Wives Under the Sea, so I’m really excited to pick this up. Vastly prefer the green and red cover. I have no idea what this is about, per usual.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Oh shit, that lesbian rizz was smooth.

I'm Irene.

Very Intermezzo

Why are her dreams giving child sexual abuse because I don’t wanna read that.

A little Fountainhead with the dad.

Are all three gay then? (Yup.)

God, these kids had no hope.

me: my childhood was fucked, but it wasn’t ~that~ fucked. Like it could’ve been even worse
me reading this book and finding exact dialogue transcripts: oh. oh no. lol

Put me down for 0% surprised that the sour patch kid I identify with is a Scorpio. (And if you’re like Samantha, you’re constantly going on about how you’re such a cap! And I am, but you know where my moon is?)

It’s also interesting that the sisters are such three distinct models of harm, but I identify with all three of them. It's very well done.

Very Intermezzo’s Peter’s stream of consciousness

Very Fleabag. Oh, that’s literally the hot priest scene.

Soporific

Detritus sin x3

It reminds me of Night’s Edge too

Girl, that pool would be filthy.

I wonder if the typo is some sort of Shakespearean easter egg to anyone with functioning brain cells. It’d be cool if it was.

Sedilia

Introducing yourself with milk is weird af.

The way my eyebrows shot up. Julia Armfield, you fucking legend.

Oh man, I didn't want anyone to die!

Me: googling the plot of King Lear now

Post-reading:
Maybe god is being fisted. Julia Armfield, you legend.

This book is not going to be for everyone. It’s slow. Like snails could lap this book, slow. But it works. It’s artsy and lyrical and haunting. It’s a fever dream.

It’s such a rumination on the different personalities emotional abuse manifests as. It's an examination of sibling dynamics. It's messy. The characters are deliberately unlikable and prickly, but you root for them anyway. It’s romantic.

It’s a creeping dread kinda horror- just this pervasive eerieness. You know something’s wrong, and you're not sure where it's going with it yet, but you can't wait to find out.

It’s got a stream of consciousness writing style that Intermezzo fans will fuck heavy with. It's got similar religious commentary. I think it would be hard to read this and not compare it to Fleabag. It doesn't have the humor but it has the sharp messiness to it.

I haven't read King Lear, but a cursory google doesn't seem like this book follows it a whole lot, so if you're going into this expecting an authentic retelling, that's not what you're going to find here.

I like the crescendo of the ending and how the book is no plot just vibes until it’s NOT, but it does feel semi unfinished to me. Like there's the death of their pseudo-mother and the forced change, but it's also like where do we go now? Just tell me Jude and Irene get to live happily ever after. I’m not built for this genre when I’m corn-fed on rom-coms, okay? And I know the ending is like the silence motif all over again so like it works, and it fits the characters, but it's not happy, and I just don't know how to muddle through. And I’m sure the UN-fixedness is the point, but it makes me itchy because im simultaneously all three sisters and-

And it’s just really fucking good. I want to read it again. I think I'll get even more out of it when I’m not out of my mind on cold medicine. Julia Armfield is an absolute auto buy. You're missing out if you like queer slowburns and don’t pick this up.

Who should read this:
Intermezzo fans
Fleabag fans
Family drama fans
Lit fic horror fans
Slowburn horror fans
Cult horror fans

Ideal reading time:
February- seems like the coldest and dreariest month

Do I want to reread this:
Absolutely

Would I buy this:
Oh yes.

Similar books:
* Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield-duh, queer, lit fic, psychological horror, the ocean is for me to fear, not understand
* Intermezzo by Sally Rooney-lit fic, family drama, character studies, religious and social commentary
* Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin-lit fic dystopian horror, family drama, queer
* Rouge by Mona Awad-lit fic psychological horror, family drama, social commentary
* Shark Heart by Emily Habeck-lit fic, family drama, psychological horror
* The Seaplane on Final Approach-lit fic, character study, sleazy

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly atmospheric dystopian novel. Realistic characters, nuanced relationship dynamics, just enough really freaking weird shit.

Julia Armfield, I am obsessed with you and your pelagic imagery.

What a wallop of a novel. I love its tone, its characterization, the banal slide of life view from the front seat of the apocalypse. Really fabulous

I enjoyed this book very much, though i felt as though the atmosphere took quite a while to build. It explores identity and relationships in a unique, atmospheric way. The writing is engaging, with a mix of emotional depth and unsettling moments that draw you in. It's a pretty distinct read (creepy but also tender) and definitely worth checking out if you're up for something a little different.

*4.5 stars*

This is a beautifully written character study set against the backdrop of a damp and unsettling apocalyptic flood.

A quiet, uneasy type of horror like Our Wives Under the Sea, the middle of this book lagged a little bit to me although I did find an interesting melancholy of the sort of day to day minutia in this climate change ravaged world. If you’re looking for a cut and dry plot and a nicely wrapped up ending I don’t think this will be the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

I’m not sure how to put my feelings into words. This book had me on the edge of my seat and uneasy until the last page. I think I understand the concept that the mothers joined up with a cult to try and stop the rain. And either it worked or not because now there’s snow and everyone is gonna freeze.

I enjoyed the characterization of everyone and how unique everyone felt. I liked the concept of seeing how they all managed to go through life in this dystopian world. The writing was beautiful. However I’m not sure I really understand the point of the story. I don’t know that I would recommend it because I didn’t get it. However I do think I would read from this author again.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

FINALLY. I’m done. It brings me absolutely no joy that I disliked yet another Julia Armfield book— it’s so annoying that on paper they should be one million percent my speed and yet once again I am bored out of my skull. It’s not for lack of writing talent— the poetry of this book is immensely beautiful, and so many turns of phrase caught my attention as stunningly poignant. I even really loved the world of this book: the constant rain, the infrastructure of a drowning city, “King Lear and his dyke daughters” being one of my favorite lines. The real problem is that for two hundred pages absolutely nothing happens. Less than nothing. It’s just talk talk talk fight fight fight going around in circles over and over again. It makes two hundred pages feel like a thousand, and yet in all of that absolutely nothing is said. It’s genuinely so frustrating.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. There's a lot I loved - Armfield's way with words and the lyric quality of the way the setting and characters come to life, the focus on the quiet moments in relationships, rather than a big plot.

I think the marketing does this a disservice by calling it a reimagining of King Lear - it is, but really isn't, and it's much much more about three prickly sisters recovering from family trauma that has left them wary of love and like to push away anyone who gets close. And in a world where connection is one of the only things left, it becomes more vital to be able to form or keep those connections.

There's a slow undercurrent of horror throughout, mostly from the setting until the very end, when a lot wraps up very quickly, but the two don't feel as woven together for me as I would have liked.

I think I also did a disservice to this by trying to read it during a period in my life that was so busy that it was hard to dedicate large chunks of time to it like the writing almost demands. It's the type of book that you almost need to read in the right setting and let yourself sink into it, and picking it up and having to put it down quickly doesn't let you do that.

as usual, julia armfield’s writing in private rites was absolutely stunning. however, i found that i was dragging myself through the majority of the book.

private rites had an excellent premise and foundation. the atmosphere of the world was palpable, i felt engulfed by the rain and the cloudy skies the entire way through this book. the family dynamics were incredibly intriguing - three sisters who are not particularly close but are drawn together by the death of their father, whom they were also not particularly close with. but it all felt very surface level, hidden under armfield’s lyrical writing.

i had a hard time distinguishing the three sisters, they were all so different and yet their voices felt very similar. i also had a hard time caring for them. sisterhood and complicated father-daughter dynamics is something i love to explore through literature, but armfield didn’t seem to go far enough. again, i was just weighed down by the slow-burn nature of this novel, which is something i absolutely loved in our wives under the sea, but here it felt like armfield was trying to do too many things while also not do much at all.

i think this is a good book, i just wish it kept any sort of forward momentum that it had at the beginning and the very last chapter. our wives under the sea was impossible for me to put down, but private rites was hard for me to pick up

julia armfield novels, on paper, are everything i love - queerness, horror, poetic and lush writing -but i just could not for the life of me get invested in this story
i muscled through OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA and liked it ... sort of ... but i just dont have space in my brain to trudge through a novel that feels like a chore to pick up.

armfield has a knack for creating an atmosphere of doom, for sharpening the anxieties of her characters (and thusly, the reader) like a knife. and it should've hooked me! it really should've. but i found the writing to be strained and affected. the characters flat, their differences spelled out but without consequence. this is not a bad book by any means, it just wasn't for me and that's okay

forgive me julia armfield fans, i'm the problem and the outlier