'Our Wives Under the Sea' by Julia Armfield is a haunting and mysterious tale that delves into the deep and intensive love between Miri and her wife Leah. The story unfolds through alternating chapters, with Leah recounting a claustrophobic horror of an underwater mission gone awry, while Miri shares the emotional aftermath of Leah's return as a changed person. Armfield's prose is described as breathtaking, capturing a range of emotions beautifully and creating a weighty, claustrophobic atmosphere akin to being trapped under the ocean depths.
The novel combines elements of literary fiction, horror, and speculative fiction, offering a character-driven narrative that explores themes of grief, the dissolution of relationships, and the transformative power of love. The writing style is poetic and haunting, with a dreamlike quality that switches between past and present, different points of view, and layers of mystery, culminating in an ending that is open to interpretation and leaves a lasting impact on readers.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings may include themes of grief, loss, trauma, body horror, and an unsettling atmosphere, which may be distressing for some readers.
Has Romance?
While the book heavily features the emotional aspects of a romantic relationship, the focus is primarily on the impact of trauma and grief rather than a conventional romance.
From The Publisher:
Fathomlessly inventive and original, Julia Armfield's Our Wives Under the Sea is a portrait of marriage as we've never seen it before.
"Shocking…Achingly poetic…Sharp and beautiful as coral polyps…Armfield exercises an exquisite-even sadistic-sense of suspense." -Ron Charles, The Washington Post
"A wonderful novel, deeply romantic and fabulously strange. I loved this book." -Sarah Waters
"Without a doubt, one of the best books I've ever read." -Kristen Arnett
Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.
By turns elegiac and furious, wry and heartbreaking, Our Wives Under the Sea is an exploration of the unknowable depths within each of us, and the love that compels us nevertheless toward one another.
Ratings (62)
Incredible (15) | |
Loved It (18) | |
Liked It (14) | |
It Was OK (10) | |
Did Not Like (5) |
Reader Stats (191):
Read It (62) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (108) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (16) |
3 comment(s)
I'm not quite sure how to rate this so I will settle with a 3.5 stars. I found the story to be rather a still and quiet novel, not dull in anyway. But the intensity played in the relationships, the characters not quite knowing what going on and the split it had on the relationship. The writing and narration made it feel almost claustrophobic and in it's on way very intense.not sure if the novel was quite for me though. Loved the shappic elements though
3.5 rounded up. What an interesting story, but i wanted more of....specific things ? The story had a lot of unnecessary details about coffee dates but I wanted more about Miri, Leah, and the crew.
The eerie atmosphere
What can you read after
Our Wives Under the Sea?
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
