Our Wives Under the Sea
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- Create Date：2022-05-20 09:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Julia Armfield
- ISBN：152901722X
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Mandi
，
I really wanted to love this。 But I just can't get my mind around how much I feel was missing， how much more could have been said。 I wanted more of Leah's story， and Miri's chapters were so disjointed I really started not to care。 In fact， this book took longer to read b/c of my dislike of her POV。 This story was more of a character study of loss; loss of yourself， loss of a loved one， loss of normalcy。 I hated the intro of the side characters， Miri's friends; having to remember names and relati I really wanted to love this。 But I just can't get my mind around how much I feel was missing， how much more could have been said。 I wanted more of Leah's story， and Miri's chapters were so disjointed I really started not to care。 In fact， this book took longer to read b/c of my dislike of her POV。 This story was more of a character study of loss; loss of yourself， loss of a loved one， loss of normalcy。 I hated the intro of the side characters， Miri's friends; having to remember names and relation so as to not get confused through the story was tiresome and thereafter I was confused in parts of Miri's story。 The speculative situation of what was going on with Leah and her accounts of it， were so bland。 The mystery of it fell flat and it really makes me sad， b/c I was so intrigued by the possibilities， like many movies I've seen about expeditions being trapped in the depths of the ocean。 I had no expectations of this story but I'm disappointed nonetheless。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
the audiobook for this is spectacular。 really enjoyed my time with this story and these poor characters
Mia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Somewhere between Jeff Vandermeer’s ‘Annihilation’ and Ted Chiang’s ‘Stories of your Life and others’ with a healthy dose of Lovecraft thrown in （so obviously I was destined to love it） but the most compelling aspect of this novel is the heartbreaking love story between the two narrators， a tale of paradise found and then lost。 And really I think this privileging of the love story， rather than the more sci-fi elements， feels like Armfield’s true intention。
Emily
，
This may be one of the best books I’ve ever read。Ocean。 Love。 Sacrifice。 Cue Florence and the machine。 5/5
Sarah
，
It had me engrossed and it’s really well written， but my god the ending was terrible。 It just didn’t explain what had happened or how Leah just madly turned into water。 Bonkers。
Nazanin Shams
，
3。5 ⭐️
Renee
，
“At night， I dream I grit my teeth so hard they break off like book matches。” -From Our Wives Under the Sea2。5 starsHow do you make a botched submarine expedition boring？ Read this book to find out。 Long run on paragraphs with needlessly complicated prose and watery imagery make up the bulk of this book。 If that’s your thing， you should read this。 Almost no plot happens until the 75%-ish mark other than a tv being on upstairs all the time （seriously， what’s going on with this？ Why is that the on “At night， I dream I grit my teeth so hard they break off like book matches。” -From Our Wives Under the Sea2。5 starsHow do you make a botched submarine expedition boring？ Read this book to find out。 Long run on paragraphs with needlessly complicated prose and watery imagery make up the bulk of this book。 If that’s your thing， you should read this。 Almost no plot happens until the 75%-ish mark other than a tv being on upstairs all the time （seriously， what’s going on with this？ Why is that the only thing we are told for the longest time）。 At that point， things get WEIRD。 It’s all the same to Mimi I guess， who I have to assume is some kind of robot， because girl did not BLINK at what was happening to her wife。 Odd ocean facts fill up other portions of the book。 All in all， although the writing was good in a superfluous way I suppose， the characters and the book fell flat for me。 Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emily Boyle
，
I was instantly intrigued by the premiss of this book。 I wanted to love it so kept reading waiting for the moment that would happen， where I would be in deep， consumed by the characters and the story， but sadly that never came。I’ve finished feeling flat， uninspired and unsure how I feel。 And I’m a person who loves the ocean！I don’t understand what caused Leah’s transformation？ Was this meant to be magical realism？ If it was， I think there was still a link missing between ‘the voice ‘ Leah hears I was instantly intrigued by the premiss of this book。 I wanted to love it so kept reading waiting for the moment that would happen， where I would be in deep， consumed by the characters and the story， but sadly that never came。I’ve finished feeling flat， uninspired and unsure how I feel。 And I’m a person who loves the ocean！I don’t understand what caused Leah’s transformation？ Was this meant to be magical realism？ If it was， I think there was still a link missing between ‘the voice ‘ Leah hears after and her connection with the creature they uncover at the end。 So much was built up about her catastrophic time under the sea yet as readers we failed to experience what that was beyond a sentence or two。 Didn’t justify the extent of the transformation。 Miri also seemed incredibly passive to me considering what changes Leah was experiencing。 Forgetting the address， not engaging with the sister til the end。 。。。more
Jayme Van Hoye
，
Well I can say I’ve never read anything quite like this。 It left me with feelings I can’t quite describe。 It’s a beautiful exploration of love and change accompanied by uneasiness， suffering and wonder。 “ My heart is a thin thing， these days- shred of paper blown between the spaces in my ribs。 “ （ page 150）
WearyReader
，
Leah， a biologist， has always felt pulled to the sea。 And she’s recently gotten to go down with two others as a research team to a deep-sea mission。 Pretty standard in her career history。 Miri， Leah’s wife， has noticed that ever sense her wife has returned that she has been acting differently and she feels Leah slipping away from her。 This story is told in two different POVs which guide you through both what happened upon the vessel through Leah’s POV and also Miri’s POV post mission return。 I l Leah， a biologist， has always felt pulled to the sea。 And she’s recently gotten to go down with two others as a research team to a deep-sea mission。 Pretty standard in her career history。 Miri， Leah’s wife， has noticed that ever sense her wife has returned that she has been acting differently and she feels Leah slipping away from her。 This story is told in two different POVs which guide you through both what happened upon the vessel through Leah’s POV and also Miri’s POV post mission return。 I loved that and enjoyed how each story guided me along one step at a time。 This is written in what I refer to as a ‘stream of thought’ narrative。 It is 1st person but imagine they’re tell you the complete story with ramblings and referred memories。 Almost like you’re their therapist and you’re just there to listen。 Although it may seem to flirt with the idea of this story May or not be a horror story。 It very much is。 But， I would say it is Horror Literary Fiction。 I feel this is a metaphor of duality。 A story about depression and the death of a precious relationship。 The struggle of grief and mourning as one recognizes and accepts the loss。 I also feel it discusses the realization that you’re not okay and maybe you never were。 Specially for those who attach themselves to a partner for them to host the emotions for the relationship as a whole。 I would also like to mention that if you have a tendency to be influenced into sadness or depression through consumed media， this may not be for you。 Or in the very least， take little bits and prepare before hand。 （It also invokes feels of emotional isolation so make sure you have a support system on standby <3 ） 。。。more
Becka
，
Really beautifully written meditation on loss and absence and love。 The author takes the premise and lets it expand to fill the whole novel - what if someone you love went missing and when she came back it didn't feel like her anymore？ - so that she can ruminate on all the different facets of loss and change， what happens to love that has to endure absence， what happens when you're already mourning someone who isn't actually dead but just gone？ This all sounds very serious and of course it is， b Really beautifully written meditation on loss and absence and love。 The author takes the premise and lets it expand to fill the whole novel - what if someone you love went missing and when she came back it didn't feel like her anymore？ - so that she can ruminate on all the different facets of loss and change， what happens to love that has to endure absence， what happens when you're already mourning someone who isn't actually dead but just gone？ This all sounds very serious and of course it is， but there are also lots of funny bits - funny one liners and little anecdotes about how Leah and Miri lived their lives which keep the narrative grounded in reality and are so endearing that they make the sadness of Leah slipping away all the sharper。 I absolutely broke my heart over this book and I'd do it again - one of my favourites of the year so far。 Marvellous that this is her first novel。 。。。more
Kara
，
I liked the horror of it particularly the description of leah’s submarine journey， it reminded me a lot of the doctor who episode ‘midnight’ i wonder if the author was inspired by this。 Like others on here I found Miri and Leah’s narrative voices too similar and wonder if their characterisations were made more distinctive I would have felt more invested in their relationship。 I liked format of the alternation of perspective with each chapter though
Jennifer
，
I picked this up last night and finished it this morning - that speaks to how compulsively readable this one is， and yet to describe it that way feels like it's cheapening things a bit。 It's left me with this weird feeling I can't quite put my finger on and don't know if I'll ever be able to。 I wouldn't go so far as to call this book profound or haunting， but it did have elements that made an impact。 There were things I didn't love as much， such as the lack of detail about Leah's trip and only t I picked this up last night and finished it this morning - that speaks to how compulsively readable this one is， and yet to describe it that way feels like it's cheapening things a bit。 It's left me with this weird feeling I can't quite put my finger on and don't know if I'll ever be able to。 I wouldn't go so far as to call this book profound or haunting， but it did have elements that made an impact。 There were things I didn't love as much， such as the lack of detail about Leah's trip and only the bare bones of her relationship wih Miri prior to The Trip， but I realize this was a stylistic choice and I do get why it was made - any more detail may have weighed the narrative down unnecessarily。This is a tough one to talk about， partly because I'm trying to avoid spoilers and partly because this was more of an allegorical story than I really expected it to be and I still need time to think on it。 That's likely a sign it was a pretty good read。 。。。more
Cassidy
，
Really really cool idea I just wish it had emotionally impacted me more。 Also the two character perspectives felt too similar in the way they were written
Balthazarinblue
，
dnf @ 70%。 This is only 240 pages but I couldn't bear to finish it， it was such a sloooooooooow read。 Great premise， crap execution。 dnf @ 70%。 This is only 240 pages but I couldn't bear to finish it， it was such a sloooooooooow read。 Great premise， crap execution。 。。。more
Brad Cannons
，
WOW。 It will take something impossibly special to beat this for my book of the year。
Kim
，
A strangely beguiling read， something I stumbled upon and don’t think I would have actively sought out otherwise。 The relationship between Miri and Leah is poetically portrayed。 The two sides of their stories unraveling as the story develops is cleverly done。 I did find the supernatural element to be a little hard to get my head around， however it didn’t detract from the beauty that their love and desire for one another。
dathomira
，
it feels like someone cracked open my chest and scooped out everything inside。
Georgie
，
a really chilling story， makes u feel uneasy & keeps u guessing throughout + i wanted to keep reading everytime i put it down。 v much enjoyed！ 4 stars bc i do kinda wish there was more info onto what actually happened with The Centre etc but i think that’s a me think not a Book thing so
✩☽
，
well， this was certainly atmospheric - claustrophobic and fittingly brimming with the oppressive melancholy of submergence。 the writing i enjoyed for the most part but it really felt like armfield was engaged in some kind of contest over how many sea and water related metaphors it is humanly possible to cram in one book - just far too repetitive and heavy-handed。 what's worse is it comes at the expense of characterization。 for all that we're told they're nothing alike， there's really not much di well， this was certainly atmospheric - claustrophobic and fittingly brimming with the oppressive melancholy of submergence。 the writing i enjoyed for the most part but it really felt like armfield was engaged in some kind of contest over how many sea and water related metaphors it is humanly possible to cram in one book - just far too repetitive and heavy-handed。 what's worse is it comes at the expense of characterization。 for all that we're told they're nothing alike， there's really not much distinguishing leah's and miri's voices。 atmosphere and lyrical writing and 1001 metaphors about loss and the ocean are all well and good， but i like characters that seem real， something to sink my teeth into， someone to root for。 others have compared the experience of reading this to be like trying to hold onto water and coming away empty handed， which i suppose nicely mirrors the events of the book， but i can't say i was wholly 。。。 satisfied by the end。 because this book misses the mark on characterization， it doesn't quite feel as visceral and fully realized as it could， leaning heavier on the conceptual side， ideas in abstract space。 i think it might have been better as a novella or a short story - as is， it feels a bit bloated and unfocused， a bit too much superfluous detail， elements that are introduced but never quite materialize。 still， i enjoyed the tender domesticity and intimacy of the central relationship and the overall themes。 。。。more
sarah。
，
this was literally everything i want in a book。 i LOVED this so much！！
Schizanthus Nerd
，
Miri’s wife was supposed to be gone for three weeks but was missing for six months。 Biologist Leah， engineer Matteo and marine ecologist and conservationist Jelka were conducting research for the Centre for Marine Enquiry but things didn’t exactly go to plan。 “I think，” she says， “that there was too much water。 When we were down there。 I think we let it get in。” Hypochondriac Miri thought she’d never see her wife again。 Now Leah has returned but the Leah who left is not the one that returned。 Miri’s wife was supposed to be gone for three weeks but was missing for six months。 Biologist Leah， engineer Matteo and marine ecologist and conservationist Jelka were conducting research for the Centre for Marine Enquiry but things didn’t exactly go to plan。 “I think，” she says， “that there was too much water。 When we were down there。 I think we let it get in。” Hypochondriac Miri thought she’d never see her wife again。 Now Leah has returned but the Leah who left is not the one that returned。 The problem， of course， was that nothing was wrong， aside from the fact of the obvious。 With the narrative alternating between Miri and Leah， the author explores the history of their relationship and the incomprehensible changes in Leah。 “How will we ever explain this” The deliciously unsettling cover image and quotable beginning set my expectations unreasonably high。 I was ready for creepy and claustrophobic。 I wasn’t expecting so much of the story to be about the relationship between the wives。 That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this book （I did）， only that it wasn’t the read I thought I was signing up for。 It isn’t that her being back is difficult， it’s that I’m not convinced she’s really back at all。 The author really captured the feeling of being alone in the presence of others。 The pain that accompanies loss， whatever form it takes。 The struggle to hold on to what no longer exists。 The resistance against letting go。 “I think，” Juna says after a pause， “that the thing about losing someone isn’t the loss but the absence of afterwards。 D’you know what I mean？ The endlessness of that。” You will find answers in this book but not all of them。 If there’d been even a teensy bit more of a focus on what happened in the depths of the ocean， I would not have been okay with this。 At all。 Because I became invested in the aftermath， I was able to sit more comfortably in the ambiguity。 That’s not to say that I’d turn away anyone who wanted to spoon-feed the rest of the answers to me。This book is really quotable， as I’m sure you’ve already picked up from my review。 The first sentence， though， it’s a doozy。 I’ve seen it quoted in so many reviews already but it’s what sucked me in so I have to share it too。 The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness。 Now， this is not important in the scheme of things but it’s still running through my head so I’m passing it along to you: Miri wonders why so many people keep bringing her coffee。 I’m wondering how I can get more people to bring it to me。Blog - https://schizanthusnerd。com 。。。more
Julia Vogel
，
4。5/5。 Gosh， that was beautiful。 And tragic。 And I could spend weeks trying to dissect every little piece of this。Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is part literary fiction， part magical realism， verging on horror。 One of my favorite genres， as it turns out！“The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness。” （p。 3） The writing， lyrical yet raw， will make or break whether you enjoy this – I found it absolutely mesmerizing。Told in a 4。5/5。 Gosh， that was beautiful。 And tragic。 And I could spend weeks trying to dissect every little piece of this。Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is part literary fiction， part magical realism， verging on horror。 One of my favorite genres， as it turns out！“The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness。” （p。 3） The writing， lyrical yet raw， will make or break whether you enjoy this – I found it absolutely mesmerizing。Told in alternating chapters， we follow the married life of two women， Miri and Leah， reunited after a deep sea mission gone horribly wrong。 Something is not quite right with Leah even after returning， her body transforming in strange ways – but Miri is clutching onto their relationship， onto their newly found routine， no matter how suffocating it gets: “The space around us is a claw half grasped， holding tight without quite crushing， and I wish， in the idle way I always wish these days， that I felt more confident in my ability to breathe。” （p。 80） All the while， Leah is recounting to us her experience of being trapped under the sea， clutching onto her memories of Miri， onto her scientific knowledge – yet her mind is slowly but inexorably slipping away 。 。 。 I felt deeply for both of them。“I used to think there was such a thing as emptiness， that there were places in the world one could go and be alone。 This， I think， is still true， but the error in my reasoning was to assume that alone was somewhere you could go， rather than somewhere you had to be left。” （Miri， p。 4） “I used to think it was vital to know things， to feel safe in the learning and recounting of facts。 I used to think it was possible to know enough to escape from the panic of not knowing， but I realise now that you can never learn enough to protect yourself， not really。” （Leah， p。 194） Beware that this is a story of theme rather than plot。 It is about the ocean and the unknown， about our thirst for knowledge and how sometimes our fascination is stronger than our fear。 Mainly， it is about love and loss， about grieving a loved one， even before they are fully gone。 Don’t expect an explanation for the weird things that are going on， because in Leah’s words: “I want whoever reads this to understand what they’re getting， which is mainly confusion， because I don’t know how to be clear about any of this。” （p。 150） However， there is a conclusion to the character/relationship arc， and I found the ending to be really satisfying and cathartic。My only nitpick: With that big a focus on the writing， the two women’s voices could have been more distinct – they did feel different from one another， Miri's being more poetic， mainly depicting day-to-day domestic life， in contrast to Leah's being more scientific， full of facts about her job as a marine biologist – but I wish there were more to distinguish them。 Also， some parts felt a bit dragged out， while others could have been further developed。 But these are minor criticisms。“As we sank， [。。。] I thought of the way deep things move upwards， of the ocean’s escapability， even despite its depths。 If you’ve got breath enough to scream， as my father said， you’re not drowning， and so I held my breath and thought about screaming and imagined the ocean coming to an end。” （p。 49） Such a gem of a novel that will stick with me for a long time， and I want to soak up everything else Julia Armfield writes！My Edition:ISBN: 9781529017229Publisher: Picador （Pan Macmillan）Release: March 3， 2022Format: PaperbackLength: 240 pagesHave you read Our Wives Under the Sea， or are you planning to？ Your thoughts？Also， what’s the weirdest magical realism / horror book you've read？Update: May 13， 2022 。。。more
Raphaëlle
，
4。25
Graz
，
good grief。 as in well written grief。 my heart hurts。 i like that there's almost a horror/thriller element to it。 the ocean's creepy good grief。 as in well written grief。 my heart hurts。 i like that there's almost a horror/thriller element to it。 the ocean's creepy 。。。more
Robert Lambregts
，
Our wives under the Sea is one of those books that I just picked up because of the cover。 Which I think is well done， and it made me want to start the book almost immediately。 I had no expectations， which was good in this case， because otherwise maybe I had expected more of it。 It's a good book， no doubt about that。 The writing style for me was 4 stars。 I like the way the narrative switches from Miri to Leah back and forth。 It adds more depth to the story。 And talking about depth， because it is Our wives under the Sea is one of those books that I just picked up because of the cover。 Which I think is well done， and it made me want to start the book almost immediately。 I had no expectations， which was good in this case， because otherwise maybe I had expected more of it。 It's a good book， no doubt about that。 The writing style for me was 4 stars。 I like the way the narrative switches from Miri to Leah back and forth。 It adds more depth to the story。 And talking about depth， because it is a story dealing about the deep sea so that seems to be fiting， it does have multiple layers to it that gets you deeper into the story。 The plot in the end wasn't entirely what I hoped for。 I'm not going to give any spoilers， but I think the writing and the end of the story make enough up for it。 Only thing I would say is that this doesn't really felt like horror to me。 Don't know what else I would put it under， but for horror it was too mellow。 Ultimately I feel this should be somewhere between 3。5 and 4 stars， so I'm giving it 4 in the end。 Also because I think it's an original story， and told from the point of a lesbian couple， which I applaud。 More like this please！ 。。。more
Amber Rhodes
，
Our Wives Under the Sea is such a deeply grotesque， raw yet beautiful look into the way trauma can shape a person。 This book will make you feel squeamish and tortured all at the same time， with the central theme of love driving forward the narrative。When Leah comes back from a failed submarine expedition， her wife Miri realised that something is wrong almost immediately。 Instead of trying to ‘fix’ the problem， it manifests exponentially。 This book talks about unconditional love in the face of th Our Wives Under the Sea is such a deeply grotesque， raw yet beautiful look into the way trauma can shape a person。 This book will make you feel squeamish and tortured all at the same time， with the central theme of love driving forward the narrative。When Leah comes back from a failed submarine expedition， her wife Miri realised that something is wrong almost immediately。 Instead of trying to ‘fix’ the problem， it manifests exponentially。 This book talks about unconditional love in the face of the abnormal and frighting and the connection between Leah and Miri is unmatched。 。。。more
J
，
Aw man， on paper my exact book！ A wife comes back from a deep sea mission - but she's wrong in some way！ With big things to say About love， memory， the sea， body horror， etc。 Etc。 Etc But seriously could have been 100 pages shorter， and this is a short wee book。 I had to drag myself through the middle section， and her writing became really flat for me - the alternating perspectives of the titular wives was impossible to tell apart （whose mum died？ Something you think you'd remember lol） and dare Aw man， on paper my exact book！ A wife comes back from a deep sea mission - but she's wrong in some way！ With big things to say About love， memory， the sea， body horror， etc。 Etc。 Etc But seriously could have been 100 pages shorter， and this is a short wee book。 I had to drag myself through the middle section， and her writing became really flat for me - the alternating perspectives of the titular wives was impossible to tell apart （whose mum died？ Something you think you'd remember lol） and dare I say she RINSED the water metaphor without bringing anything meaningful to it。 Big MFA energy， pretty and stagnant。 It gets a 3 stars because when it remembers what plot is the last stretch reminds us about what is beautiful in the writing and the concept。 I'd recommend the first， like， 4 chapters otherwise though！ 。。。more
lark benobi
，
I'm puzzled by this book。 I think those who love it are able to leap over the structural haziness of the novel， and appreciate it for the lushness of the prose and also for the startling originality of some of the scenes。 It's not just that it's good writing--there are some really amazing scenes， too。 That's why I'm puzzled about why there are an equal or greater number of boring unnecessary scenes， of people meeting over coffee， and having conversations that go nowhere。 This novel is like a han I'm puzzled by this book。 I think those who love it are able to leap over the structural haziness of the novel， and appreciate it for the lushness of the prose and also for the startling originality of some of the scenes。 It's not just that it's good writing--there are some really amazing scenes， too。 That's why I'm puzzled about why there are an equal or greater number of boring unnecessary scenes， of people meeting over coffee， and having conversations that go nowhere。 This novel is like a handful of unset gemstones in a black velvet bag。 。。。more
eddy
，
four stars really but god damn it if straight people can have pretentious nonsensical romances so can lesbians with actual chemistry！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Our Wives Under the Sea
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Our Wives Under the Sea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft