ellyj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jadesg1's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this, but I don't think it's going to be for everyone as it's quite abstract and ethereal. My favorite story was probably the one about the girl band, who I read into as mythological sirens of some type who were influencing girls to harm/kill men, and I felt the narrative was the most cohesive. I can absolutely see the influence on Our Wives Under the Sea in the last two stories—it felt like elements from each directly influenced the creation of that novel, which I really liked. Ultimately, I preferred OWUTS, but I am not huge on short story collections unless they're a thematic collection of some type from different authors.
sarahbythebook's review
dark
mysterious
tense
4.0
I’m not usually one for short story collections, and this hasn’t really changed my mind on that. However! Several of the stories were as gripping as they were uncomfortable to read. My top 3 in no particular order are Formerly Feral, Stop Your Women’s Ears with Wax, and Salt Slow!
zany25's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
As a short story collection there were definitely ones I enjoyed more and ones I enjoyed less and the reaction from anyone will likely be similar. A mixed bag, but I don’t regret reading it. The Great Awake, Granite, Formerly Feral, Cassandra After, and the namesake story Salt Slow were definite standouts to me. I like the muted realistic way love is portrayed in many of these stories, it feels very unidealistic and grounded at times but still interesting.
Definitely not a collection that’s going to scare you, but it may make you shiver slightly once or twice. Dreamlike and occasionally meandering I think it shows the good and bad of Julia Armfield very well. I personally look forward to more.
Definitely not a collection that’s going to scare you, but it may make you shiver slightly once or twice. Dreamlike and occasionally meandering I think it shows the good and bad of Julia Armfield very well. I personally look forward to more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming
Potential implications of “end of the world” or radical societal change/upheaval type scenarios in some of the stories, but is not graphic. Climate change and isolation come up as themes.ayolikesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Stunning, absorbing and visceral, one that I'll remember and look forward to rereading.
chunny's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thelostvoid's review against another edition
4.25
Orilium Autumn Equinox 2023 Reading Challenge • Inscription • Ordinary • From end of year TBR
As I was hoping, this was very weird and body horror filled and had a touch of the ocean in it. I think my favourites were The Great Awake, Formerly Feral and Granite. Some very fucking cool concepts that were executed in such a fascinating way.
As I was hoping, this was very weird and body horror filled and had a touch of the ocean in it. I think my favourites were The Great Awake, Formerly Feral and Granite. Some very fucking cool concepts that were executed in such a fascinating way.
emem_22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
prosebeforehoes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5