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frantically's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
While the prose was gorgeous, especially as an audiobook, this book did leave me a bit dissatisfied – there's so many cool hints and possible storylines but nothing is really followed through on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, and Death of parent
Minor: Gore, Sexual content, and Blood
kreglow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Very slow paced at the beginning and could have been trimmed up a bit. The second half of the book is where the story shines. Overall, felt like a really good novella expanded to novel length. Very sad and bleak story about grief and the horror of completely losing someone you care about while physically they are still with you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Abandonment
bwoo's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Grief
carolinebl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I loved this novel. Wow. The audiobook was brilliantly narrated. At times I was dragged in too far: Miri’s anxieties were potent. From the beginning it was a beautiful mixture of unsettling horror and a profound exploration of relationships and humanity. Oh, Leah. I’ve not read literature like this… perhaps my sign to value contemporary fiction more highly. I will certainly be reading Armfield’s next novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Dementia
Vivid depiction of hypochondriahellavaral's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia and Physical abuse
theislandalien's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Haunting, engulfing, and absolutely heartbreaking. I am forever changed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
moominquartz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Atmospheric, haunting, morose. And somehow a joy to read. Whenever I was not reading this book, I was thinking about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Confinement
Moderate: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Vomit, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
A portion of this book deals with being deep under the ocean and the marine life within.bookbanshee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Mental illness
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
klsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
*slaps the side of the submarine* I have so many conflicting feelings about this little novel. This book is atmospheric: foggy, damp, slimy. It's romantic and scary and cold. While the existential heart of it resounded deeply with me, I found myself bored with the pacing and the minuteness of the scenes. Reading about repetitive daily tasks wasn't the most compelling experience. There were a lot of concepts and conversations that went nowhere, a thing that is true to life but dull. Nearly every question in the plot remained unanswered, and I had a hard time caring because I didn't feel much for the characters. They were approached at a distance and with such clinical coldness that they were hard to tell apart. I wasn't really invested in Miri and Leah's love story either, which is difficult because I'm a sucker for sapphics. I adored the Grimm's fairytale-esque scenes and wish the author had leaned more into the actual "horror" element (besides the horrors of being a human). I'm sure this writing style works for a lot of people. I think I would've liked this much more as a short story.
The writing itself was poetic and beautiful, and there are some unbelievably strong, visual sections about grief. A few quotes:
"Grief is selfish: we cry for ourselves without the person we have lost far more than we cry for the person—but more than that, we cry because it helps. The grief process is also the coping process and if the grief is frozen by ambiguity, by the constant possibility of reversal, then so is the ability to cope."
"I used to hope, I typed once, that I’d die before my partner, even though I knew that was selfish. I used to think that I hoped I’d die before she died and before the planet died and really just generally before things got any worse. I didn't send this message, specifically because it seemed to imply that my views had changed, when they hadn't."
"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 realize now that you can never learn enough to protect yourself, not really."
Ultimately, I think Our Wives Under the Sea is a contemplation on the terror of uncertainty. Whether about disease, relationships, or the depths of the ocean, there is a vast unknown. When an answer comes, do you turn to the darkness beyond the window, sensing unpredictable horrors trawling the depths? Are we strong enough to withstand this? What do you lose when you cling to certainty? Where and when does life exist - now, in the waiting, or with the certainty of our healthy world, our healthy hearts, our lovely relationships? In the end, I think the author asks, "Can we let go?"
I love sapphic love and I love scary existentialism, so I'm interested in reading more from this author. You might enjoy this book if you're looking for creepy, water-logged atmosphere, poetic prose, and meditations on the grief of being a living, breathing, dying person on this planet. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
The writing itself was poetic and beautiful, and there are some unbelievably strong, visual sections about grief. A few quotes:
"Grief is selfish: we cry for ourselves without the person we have lost far more than we cry for the person—but more than that, we cry because it helps. The grief process is also the coping process and if the grief is frozen by ambiguity, by the constant possibility of reversal, then so is the ability to cope."
"I used to hope, I typed once, that I’d die before my partner, even though I knew that was selfish. I used to think that I hoped I’d die before she died and before the planet died and really just generally before things got any worse. I didn't send this message, specifically because it seemed to imply that my views had changed, when they hadn't."
"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 realize now that you can never learn enough to protect yourself, not really."
Ultimately, I think Our Wives Under the Sea is a contemplation on the terror of uncertainty. Whether about disease, relationships, or the depths of the ocean, there is a vast unknown. When an answer comes, do you turn to the darkness beyond the window, sensing unpredictable horrors trawling the depths? Are we strong enough to withstand this? What do you lose when you cling to certainty? Where and when does life exist - now, in the waiting, or with the certainty of our healthy world, our healthy hearts, our lovely relationships? In the end, I think the author asks, "Can we let go?"
I love sapphic love and I love scary existentialism, so I'm interested in reading more from this author. You might enjoy this book if you're looking for creepy, water-logged atmosphere, poetic prose, and meditations on the grief of being a living, breathing, dying person on this planet. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Blood, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Sexism
sweetpersephone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A very compelling analogy for coping with loss of a loved one suffering from terminal illness and the grief that brings. Seeing Miri burry her head in the sand to cope with the reality of the situation is heart breaking but realistic. Layered on top of this is the eldritch horror and body horror that give the book a very tense, unsettling feeling. The love between Miri and Leah feels very real. The novel stays with you long after you finish putting it down. With all that said, the strength of the novel is also it's weakness. While the slow pacing and edging towards death make the process of watching Leah slip away feels very real and realistic, it can make the novel quite difficult to get through as it drags. You are stuck there with Miri and Leah as you wait for doom, but not a huge amount actually happens in the story and Miri is a very passive character to follow. Part of me wonders if this would have been much more effective as a short story, but then the effect of slowly watching as horror grows before the inevitable goodbye might be diminished if its made to be quick. Still would recommend for anyone interested in seeing two women love each other through the end of their worlds.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Grief