Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rashellnicole 's review for:
Private Rites
by Julia Armfield
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron for letting me read an e-ARC of Private Rites by Julia Armfield! This book released on December 3, 2024, so it’s already out in the world and ready to be placed into your willing hands!
“It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has reshaped itself and arcane rituals and religions are creeping back into practice. Sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their father dies. An architect as cruel as he was revered, his death offers an opportunity for the sisters to come together in a new way. In the grand glass house they grew up in, their father’s most famous creation, the sisters sort through the secrets and memories he left behind, until their fragile bond is shattered by a revelation in his will.
More estranged than ever, the sisters’ lives spin out of control: Irene’s relationship is straining at the seams; Isla’s ex-wife keeps calling; and cynical Agnes is falling in love for the first time. But something even more sinister might be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always seemed unusually interested in the sisters’ lives. Soon, it becomes clear that the sisters have been chosen for a very particular purpose, one with shattering implications for their family and their imperiled world.”
Armfield strikes again! If you’ve read King Lear, you might enjoy finding the parallels that I’m sure are present throughout this book (I have not, therefore I couldn’t tell you what those are), since this is a reimagining of that story. Three estranged sisters are forced to reconnect after the passing of their father. Readers bear witness to the drama that ensues after the reading of his will and all the ways this impacts the lives of the sisters. What starts out as a slow burn read quickly devolves and deteriorates with an extremely dramatic ending involving a return to the waters that Armfield always so lovingly describes. While I would’ve preferred a bit more explanation at the end, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book!
“It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has reshaped itself and arcane rituals and religions are creeping back into practice. Sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their father dies. An architect as cruel as he was revered, his death offers an opportunity for the sisters to come together in a new way. In the grand glass house they grew up in, their father’s most famous creation, the sisters sort through the secrets and memories he left behind, until their fragile bond is shattered by a revelation in his will.
More estranged than ever, the sisters’ lives spin out of control: Irene’s relationship is straining at the seams; Isla’s ex-wife keeps calling; and cynical Agnes is falling in love for the first time. But something even more sinister might be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always seemed unusually interested in the sisters’ lives. Soon, it becomes clear that the sisters have been chosen for a very particular purpose, one with shattering implications for their family and their imperiled world.”
Armfield strikes again! If you’ve read King Lear, you might enjoy finding the parallels that I’m sure are present throughout this book (I have not, therefore I couldn’t tell you what those are), since this is a reimagining of that story. Three estranged sisters are forced to reconnect after the passing of their father. Readers bear witness to the drama that ensues after the reading of his will and all the ways this impacts the lives of the sisters. What starts out as a slow burn read quickly devolves and deteriorates with an extremely dramatic ending involving a return to the waters that Armfield always so lovingly describes. While I would’ve preferred a bit more explanation at the end, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book!