Book Series Guide

Author guide

Julia Armfield Books in Order

Julia Armfield is a British fiction writer living in London. She holds a master's degree in Victorian Art and Literature from Royal Holloway, University of London. Her work combines gothic, horror, speculative, feminist, and queer themes. She won the White Review Short Story Prize in 2018 and a Pushcart Prize in 2020. Her debut story collection, salt slow, was followed by the novels Our Wives Under the Sea and Private Rites.

fictiongothic fictionhorrorspeculative fictionliterary fictionshort storiesqueer literature

Catalog record updated .

Julia Armfield's Newest Book

Cover of Private Rites

Private Rites

novel · First published 2024

From the award-winning author of Our Wives Under the Sea, a speculative reimagining of King Lear, centering three sisters navigating queer love and loss in a drowning world 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.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of salt slow

salt slow

Armfield's debut book and short-story collection.

Cover of Our Wives Under the Sea

Our Wives Under the Sea

Armfield's debut novel and best-known entry point.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (2)
  1. Our Wives Under the Sea

    novel · 2022

    Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they…

  2. Private Rites

    novel · 2024

    From the award-winning author of Our Wives Under the Sea, a speculative reimagining of King Lear, centering three sisters navigating queer love and loss in a drowning world It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has…

Short fiction (1)
  1. salt slow

    short-story collection · 2019

    In her electrifying debut, Julia Armfield explores women’s experiences in contemporary society, mapped through their bodies. As urban dwellers’ sleeps become disassociated from them, like Peter Pan’s shadow, a city turns insomniac. A…

Frequently asked questions about Julia Armfield

Who is Julia Armfield?

Julia Armfield is a London-based fiction writer and occasional playwright. She holds a master’s degree in Victorian Art and Literature from Royal Holloway University.

Source: panmacmillan.com (opens in a new tab)

Is Julia Armfield a queer writer?

Armfield is publicly described as living with her wife and has discussed her interest in queer women’s literature. Queer relationships and perspectives are important to her work, though a personal identity label should not be inferred beyond what she has publicly stated.

Sources: juliaarmfield.co.uk (opens in a new tab)notabeneprize.com (opens in a new tab)

What themes is Julia Armfield known for?

Armfield is known for blending horror and the absurd with intimate subjects such as bodies, grief, love, transformation, and the instability of identity. She has described genre as a way to explore ordinary experiences indirectly and ambiguously.

Sources: notabeneprize.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Julia Armfield’s writing?

Armfield has said films often inspire her before books, citing Jaws and Suspiria as influences. She also returns to Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love and reads Joan Didion and Annie Proulx for rhythm and precision.

Source: notabeneprize.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Julia Armfield won?

Armfield won The White Review Short Story Prize in 2018 for “The Great Awake” and a Pushcart Prize in 2020. Her debut novel later won the Polari Prize in 2023.

Sources: juliaarmfield.co.uk (opens in a new tab)thewhitereview.org (opens in a new tab)