Great collection. I've read a number of short stories lately with the weird twist, sometimes intriguing or fun or goofy, but often standing out as weird for weird's sake. Armfield writes the weird in a way that makes it inevitable and necessary.

Thank you to my local bookstore for this recommendation during quarantine based just on the out of print book I was looking for. You are so much better than an algorithm. ( )

I thought the prose was beautiful and the stories were thought-provoking and creative. It wasn’t necessarily the most memorable collection but it should definitely get more attention. ( )

Decent writing but I didn't realize they were short stories. Stories were just okay and didn't seem to really "end" so I kept expecting them to connect (because I didn't realize they were separate). dnf ( )

Absolutely radiant writing. ( )

There is a strong tendency for today's short story writer to regard the form as inherently experimental, to the point where narratives end abruptly, often absurdly, without giving you a genuine sense of what the author was trying to do or say. I detest that approach to writing short stories, because I believe experimental writing does not have equate to what amounts to bad writing under the guise of innovation.

That is what I liked about Salt Slow. You always have the sense that Julia Armfield has a creative purpose, that she is trying to explore something particular with these pieces, without resorting to being didactic. I didn't fall in love with any of the stories in this collection, but I did appreciate the ambition and craft that went into creating them.

1. Mantis

A Catholic schoolgirl has notoriously bad skin, but it turns out that is because she is from a long line of women who transform into praying mantises upon reaching sexual maturity.

2. The Great Awake

In this story, people are haunted by doubles that are referred to as "Sleeps," which in turn cause insomnia. There is also a rather dull narrative about a young woman named Janey, who has a relationship with Leonie, a woman with no Sleep.

3. The Collectables

Three women are disillusioned with the men in their lives. As such, they decide to create the perfect man, in an echo of Frankenstein. They put this plan into action, luring the pizza delivery man for his beautiful eyes.

4. Formally Feral

The protagonist's father, a writer, remarries a woman has a wolf named Janet for a pet. As the story unfolds, Janet seems to become and more human, whereas the protagonist becomes more wild and feral.

5. Stop your women's ears with wax

A music journalist, Mona, follows an all-girl band across the country. It would appear that the band is actually made up of sirens (from ancient myth), and that is why their music is causing women everywhere to rebel. There is also a rather dull narrative about how Mona has a relationship with Leonie, a roadie who works for the band.

6. Granite

Maggie is a single woman who finally meets a man at a party and they fall in love. Her neighbor, Mrs. Lumis, complains constantly about the new boyfriend, claiming he makes a lot of noise whenever he visits. Maggie compares herself to a gorgon, and it is presumably this quality that causes her new boyfriend to turn to granite at the end.

7. Smack

Nicola's husband tells her he wants a divorce, so she locks herself in his holiday house and refuses to leave. Meanwhile, large smacks (the collective noun) of jellyfish have been washing up on the beach. Nicola eventually gives up her stand and goes to lie with the jellyfish on the shore.

8. Cassandra After

Six months after the death of the female narrator's girlfriend, Cassandra, the latter returns, her body in a dilapidated physical state. Her return prompts the narrator to recall Cassandra's place in her life.

9. salt slow

A man and a pregnant woman are afloat in a boat in a future dystopia, in which sea levels have risen to the point where there is no land and few people left. The title is a reference to Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood," which the narrator remembers her mother reading to her in her younger days.

As you can see, there is plenty of experimental writing on offer, but I could always grasp what it was that Armfield was trying to do, and that's important for me as a reader. It's also a nice change from all those MFA types who think that literary fiction is mostly about creating pretty prose that sparkles but is devoid of all substance. Salt Slow is a solid collection of stories that remains worth reading, but that never quite dazzles. ( )