Private Rites

'A page-turner that makes you slow down to appreciate the brilliance of the prose. One of my favourite novels of the past few years’ Jeff VanderMeer, author of Absolution

'An extraordinary, unsettling novel about a world where it never stops raining. Three sisters battle the elements – and indeed each other. I guarantee you will never forget this book once you’ve read it' Jacqueline Wilson, author of Think Again

'Evocative yet grounded, blending the mythical with the cavalier… Her imagination is vivid’ Observer

‘Armfield writes so gracefully. I love her glancing, pitiless social observations’ The Times

‘Seductive…compelling…brilliantly audacious’ Guardian

‘Intriguing and provocative… A writer worth reading’ Financial Times

‘Characteristically eerie and emotive' GQ

'An evocative mystery set at the end of the world' Guardian

‘A hauntingly good book about family, faith and the climate crisis’ iNews

‘The emotional depth and unique storytelling ensures Armfield's reputation as a distinctive voice … a must-read for fans of her hauntingly beautiful prose’ Glamour

'Armfield lends a quasi-mythic dimension to an intimate story of sibling rivalry and familial disinheritance’ Daily Mail

‘A sharply observed exploration of grief, family and the end of the world as we know it’ Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller

‘A book of extraordinary sentences, set in end-times which feel bleakly real yet pulse with a tireless, tangible force of love’ Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From

‘Witty, brutal … An era-defining writer’ Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time

'Washed through with a pervasive sense of unease, resonant with emotional intelligence, and all in elegant, evocative prose' Claire Fuller, author of Unburied Ground

‘Lyrical, haunting, unsettling, and J.G. Ballard-ian in apocalyptic scope … Deeply, passionately, messily human’ Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World

‘Beauty aches through every word’ Heather Parry, author of Orpheus Builds a Girl