My first read by Julia Armfield, and WOW, the hype is very well-deserved. 

End of times/climate change settings are usually hit-or-miss for me, sometimes leaning on trope-y stereotypes that take some of the punch out of the message. Armfield’s setting here is one of the best I’ve ever read. Bleak, foreboding, utterly dreadful, but also incredibly, depressingly realistic. I think sometimes there tends to be imagined this absolute chaotic, quick descent into apocalyptic circumstances but sadly, what Armfield presents is probably the most realistic: a slow sinking, many folks continuing about their days as normal, going to work as usual. 

While “The City” is quite literally its own character here and is wonderfully done, our three main characters - Isla, Irene & Agnes - are also incredibly well-written. Isla drove me a bit insane, and I had quite a soft spot for both Irene and Agnes (especially Irene, I felt a bit of a kinship with her, to be honest), but all 3 are so fully realized that I truly had empathy for them all. Plus I’m a sucker for complex, dysfunctional family dynamics. 

Ultimately, while this is a slow burn horror novel that pays off with a horrifying and creepy finale, it’s also a story of queer love, familial love, the desperation, hope and maybe even salvation found in love during the worst of times.