I have to admit I haven’t read all that much Shakespeare, so when I hear that a current work of fiction is a retelling of one of his classics, I’m not automatically interested in picking it up just on the basis of that. But Julia Armfield is one of my favorite contemporary authors — please check out her short story collection, salt slow, and her debut novel, Our Wives Under the Sea — so her new book, described as a speculative reimagining of King Lear, was an immediate purchase for me. In Private Rites, the world is underwater and it rains endlessly. Society has built upward to survive, thanks in large part to the designs of one revered architect. But he’s kind of a horrible person. When he dies, his estranged daughters are brought together, and it’s a complicated reunion.
Private Rite follows the sisters, Isla, Irene and Agnes, in the aftermath of their father’s death as they uncover dark family secrets while grappling with their own interpersonal issues. And, this is all happening at a time that is basically the end of the world. It’s beautifully written, with a haunting, melancholic tone that instantly draws you in.
