Our Wives Under the Sea

by Julia Armfield

208 pages

English language

Published Nov. 15, 2022 by Pan Macmillan.

ISBN:: 978-1-5290-1723-6

(42 reviews)

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 is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has brought part of it back with her, onto dry land and into their home.

Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

Our Wives Under the Sea is the debut novel from Julia Armfield, the critically acclaimed author of salt slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea.

8 editions

eve massacre reviewed Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield

None

5 stars

I liked Julia Armfield‘s Salt Slow, a New Weird short stories book, a lot. So I looked forward to reading her new novel Our Wives Under the Sea: Body horror, deep sea sciency mystery and a lesbian love story – how could I resist? I wasn’t disappointed. Those who expect your average YA story might be. Or you could let it open up a world of different styles of writing to you. This novel is far closer to Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation than to Guillermo de Toro’s Shape of Water if you’re one for comparisons.

This book is rough and subtle at the same time, more sea glass than diamond, that is part of what made it such an enjoyable read to me. Julia Armfield shines in slowly describing the otherwordly (and the ocean still is pretty much an other world to us, isn’t it?) transformation of Leah, the deep sea …

Caio Maximino reviewed Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Uma história assombrada pela perda

4 stars

Leah vai a uma expedição de pesquisa submarina; um acidente acontece e ela fica presa lá por meio ano. Quando retorna, não é mais a mesma pessoa, literalmente, fisicamente. Miri, sua esposa, se vê completamente presa no cuidado com Leah, e absolutamente inerte em relação a tudo o mais. "Pensamentos afundados" pincelam a narrativa, e vemos aí o desenrolar de uma não-situação: o que fazer quando não conseguimos deixar o outro (ou sua memória) ir embora? Uma história de fantasma sem fantasma, o mar como metáfora pra o eu profundo, horror corporal, e uma pitada de horror cósmico são os ingredientes desse texto

ミズ reviewed Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Review of 'Our Wives under the Sea' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

????????? 😭😭😭??????? wassssssss omg das wird mich noch sehr sehr lange beschäftigen

Scrumbles P. Abernathy reviewed Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

A ponderous character study

4 stars

This book really took its time. The slow unwinding made me read it at a much less frenetic pace. It was the opposite of a page turner but the experience was so rewarding.

I caught themes of relationships changing as people move apart but don't want to let go. Also, the slow loss of someone you love to a degenerative disease. And of course, loneliness. This would be a great winter read.

Catship reviewed Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield

A sad story about queers

4 stars

So this is good and also sad. Also a little boring. But not as boring as it could be. It does have exciting moments and things do happen, just, they are small in all this stuckness.

I'm sure you can read this as a metaphor for the impact of trauma on queer relationships. Maybe I half do. But also. It's about submarines and unknowable threats and soft domesticity and fun facts about the sea.

B. Zelkovich reviewed Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Review of 'Our Wives under the Sea' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Huh. But also, wow. I think I'll have to marinate on this one a bit more before I can give a solid review. but initial thoughts are: What a stunning, tragic, and beautiful book. But also... I'm not sure I liked it?

Jaelyn reviewed Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Review of 'Our Wives Under the Sea' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

When Miri’s wife, Leah, returns from a deep-sea mission that took months longer than it should have, she’s overjoyed. But Leah is not the same. Leah’s behaviour becomes peculiar and has increasingly disturbing symptoms she refuses to see a doctor about. Bleeding from pores and water from her mouth. She spends all her time trying to submerge herself. The company that sent her is Kafkaesque in its evasiveness. Leah fears she has lost her wife to the ocean, or she brought the ocean back within her. Something from the deep.

The story jumps between Leah’s fear, loss and frantic attempts to find out what happened; and Miri’s recollections of her time on the submarine (a setup which could easily fit inside an Oceangate conspiracy). The love feels tragic inside this gothic horror.

Erin reviewed Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Review of 'Our Wives under the Sea' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I knew this was a vibes book going into it, and I actually DNFed it on a first attempt. I don’t regret finishing it this time, but I had hoped for something more.

I liked the weird, unsettling mood throughout the story. I don’t mind the ambiguity at all, if anything I wanted more ambiguity at the end. But it felt so, so samey through the whole book. It didn’t feel like it built toward the climax that we got, it was just suddenly there.

The writing style also leans lyrical, full of a metaphors. I think that’s why I DNFed it the first time, but this time I read it via audiobook so it was easier to get through. Still not my preference.

It was short so it felt serviceable, but it’s a literary author taking genre elements (deep sea creepiness and sketchy science organizations), and not doing anything …

lesepflaster aka schokopflaster 📖 reviewed Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Durchwachsen. Atmosphärisch aber nicht wirklich berührend.

3 stars

Content warning Meta spoiler, nehmen aber das Ende vorweg

Dad Buch hält leider keine Überraschungen bereit, es endet genau so, wie man sich das auf den ersten Seiten denkt. Das thematisiert das Buch aber auch selbst, wenn Leah feststellt, dass man bei Horrorfilmen, in denen es um Geister/Werwölfe/… geht, einfach damit rechnen kann, dass die Hauptperson spätestens am Ende auch eine solche Kreatur (geworden) ist. Das ist übrigens eine Prämisse, die ich in Horrorliteratur außerordentlich schätze. Ich mag es nicht, wenn sich von ein „Monatern“ abgegrenzt wird, statt mit ihnen gemein gemacht oder sich selbst darin erkannt. Aber zurück zum Buch. Wie erwartet werden Zusammenhänge nicht aufgeklärt, die Entitäten bleiben kafkaesk nebulös und unerreichbar, vielleicht ist alles ein Missverständnis, vielleicht genau so, wie sich manche Charaktere das vorstellen. Ich finde sowas ja immer schade und billige Ausflucht, andererseits wäre es sonst kein Horror mehr sondern ginge in Richtung Krimi/Action und man hätte eindeutige Bösewicht_innen statt Atmosphäre und Introspektion.

Das eigentliche Thema des Buchs ist mE aber Trauer. Denn es ist gar nicht klar, ob diese Geschichte mit den zwei Frauen überhaupt so passiert, oder ob eigentlich nur Maria (natürlich heißt sie Maria :D, mir ist das Buch ja n Tacken zu christlich in den Metaphern) einfach nur durch den Tod der entfremdeten Mutter die Realität entgleitet. Respektive genau das ein zweites Mal passiert, erst mit der Mutter, dann mit dem Verschwinden und eventuellen Wiederauftauchens von Leah, wobei ja auch im Buch (das eher mit dem ganzen Zaun winkt als mit einem Zaunpfahl) ausgesprochen wird, dass die Angehörigen von Verschwundenen eigentlich diejenigen sind, die diese erst töten/sich entscheiden müssen, was passiert (ist). Tja, also viel Trauer, viel Entfremdung von Hetenwelt, ein wenig das Thematisieren queerer Symbiose. Nicht schlecht aber auch nicht wirklich mitreißend. Einerseits weil vorhersehbar andererseits weil beide Protagonist_innen so gänzlich abgeklärt erzählen und die Sprecherinnen des Hörbuchs das noch verstärken. Kann man sich mal anhören, aber ich hätte gerne eine 50% kürzere Version gehört ;).

Lia reviewed Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Review of 'Our Wives under the Sea' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I don't know what the fuck i just read

ish-i-ness reviewed Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Review of 'Our Wives Under the Sea' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

More of a 3 star book but I’m bumping up a star because I think if it’s read as a metaphor for all marriages, rather than just a story about one marriage, it’s rather profound. I’m choosing to read it that way. If you read it the other way…. It’s kind of boring. The style is familiar and at this point, almost cliche. That’s not so great. But it’s short enough that I don’t mind as much as I would if it had taken more of my time. It’s a decent book. I could see recommending it as a good introduction to contemporary literary fiction, if nothing else. It has just enough innovation going on to make it a little more interesting than other options.