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carbinara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
I had went into this with high hopes, then got let down a bit, then left having enjoyed it. An odd process. I had went in expecting horror, not really having read lit fic, so I found the first 150 pages quite slow and tedious. However, once you get past the 150 page mark the plot starts going and I really enjoyed it. While I much preferred Leahs POV to Miri’s, both gave such an insight to these characters and the situation they’re in. I found myself really feeling for both of them by the end. I think the characterisation was well done, although I wish the plot was more neatly wrapped up. That being said, I think that was intentional. I’m really glad we actually “saw” a sea monster and it wasn’t just left as movement in the darkness
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, and Gore
the_amused_forest_gnome's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An open-ended and slightly disturbing narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Cursing
Moderate: Death
nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
It was very unsettling and a slow burn horror (specifically body horror and deep sea horror). I appreciated it for what it was but I was expecting more of the deep sea portion and just more in general. I wanted more creepiness; the parts that were creepy were done SO WELL but just ended too quickly for me. I also wanted more of an explanation as to what occurred. Armfield doesn’t fully answer any of the questions that arise and, though I like that in some instances, I REALLY wanted answers for this one.
Basically my gripes come from what my expectations were going into the book and how the story was structured (not bad just not what I wanted).
I’ll be looking forward to reading more of Armfield’s works in the future for sure though! She’s a wonderful story teller and I feel like she’s going to write some amazing things.
Basically my gripes come from what my expectations were going into the book and how the story was structured (not bad just not what I wanted).
I’ll be looking forward to reading more of Armfield’s works in the future for sure though! She’s a wonderful story teller and I feel like she’s going to write some amazing things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual content
lesbianclerics's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Body horror
Sad. Really sad. I optimistically kept expecting it to get less sad. It didn't. If i were alone right now I'd be sobbing.withlivjones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Haunting and eerie, part romance, part thriller, part horror. The narration is wonderful and both Leah and Miri are such real characters whose thoughts and experiences and flaws burst from the page. Topics of loss, anxiety, and love that transcends distance (both literally and psychologically) are dealt with beautifully. This is the kind of book that leaves you breathless (ha ha).
Are all my questions answered? No. Do I kind of wish that certain things were explained in a little more detail? Perhaps. But nevertheless, the vibes are immaculate.
Are all my questions answered? No. Do I kind of wish that certain things were explained in a little more detail? Perhaps. But nevertheless, the vibes are immaculate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual content
One minor character that could potentially be enforcing biphobic stereotypesandrewhatesham's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
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.
This one lives up to the hype.
Our Wives Under the Sea is a grotesquely beautiful exploration of grief in its many shapes and forms, both figurative and literal. The writing style is amazing and the plot is refreshingly unique. Some of the body horror did get to me, but overall the horror aspect is much more psychological and emotional. I still don't know what to make of the ending, but I think that's the way it's supposed to be. Uncertainty is scary.
Don't go into this expecting terrifying scenes and mind shattering plot twists because it's not that type of book. This is the type of book that can have you reading the same passage over and over again, lingering on certain words; a book to get comfortable in despite the discomfort.
Our Wives Under the Sea is a grotesquely beautiful exploration of grief in its many shapes and forms, both figurative and literal. The writing style is amazing and the plot is refreshingly unique. Some of the body horror did get to me, but overall the horror aspect is much more psychological and emotional. I still don't know what to make of the ending, but I think that's the way it's supposed to be. Uncertainty is scary.
Don't go into this expecting terrifying scenes and mind shattering plot twists because it's not that type of book. This is the type of book that can have you reading the same passage over and over again, lingering on certain words; a book to get comfortable in despite the discomfort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Confinement
Minor: Suicide, Death, and Medical content
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i loved the premise, the writing, the character development, etc. but i feel like there was a tiny bit left to be desired in terms of the ending. however, i do not know if more would actually increase the amount i enjoyed this or totally destroy the ambiguity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content
3arth2kaye's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Hated every minute. 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
rosesofthespring's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Armfield sets up a fantastic premise. What happens to people after the horror novel ends? How does it affect them? How does it affect their lives and loved ones? This is one of the more unique ideas I've ever seen for a split-POV novel.
Unfortunately, I can't say I enjoyed the execution. While I was very engaged with the mystery in Leah's chapters, I quickly grew soured on Miri's. I understand the concept. Miri is going through grief, which is one of - if not the - most challenging experience(s) in a person's life. She is flashing back to previous memorable moments and previous periods of grieving. While this makes sense in theory, in practice it means that 2/3rds of the book (Miri's chapters are much longer than Leah's) is rarely concerned with the central mystery.
Before I get too critical, I want to make it clear that there are many positives to this book. Armfield is extremely good at creating tension in a small space. The thoughts and behavior of people trapped in a confined space are shown well. Often I find that writers go too far in either direction, either opting for pure boredom or immediate claustrophobic panic. Armfield walks the line in a way that feels realistic. I also love the portrayal of the Centre as an unknowable horror in its own right, a bureaucratic monstrosity that's always sitting right at the edge of everyone's mind. The writing style fits the nostalgic, surreal nature of the story. The two POVs do not feel interchangeable the way they often do when handled by a less proficient author. The two women have distinct voices and thought patterns.
The rest of this review will be far more negative.
Miri flits in and out of engaging with the issue at hand, which is understandable, but whenever given the opportunity to get out of her own head, she refuses. This comes to a head when, 75% of the way through the book, someone shows up and basically says, "Hey, would you like to learn more about the central conflict?" To which she promptly responds, "No." and leaves. After spending more than 100 pages subjected to Miri's self-pitying, judgmental, unpleasant inner monologue, that scene felt like a joke at my expense.
I personally didn't feel like either storyline reached a satisfying conclusion, but YMMV there, that's extremely subjective. I think I can see what they were going for, at least in terms of handling Miri's relationship with grief, but it didn't feel like she experienced much significant growth. This might just be because the book ends immediately after a major character moment. I was left unsure whether I was supposed to read it literally or metaphorically. This ambiguity is very likely intentional, but the fact remains that it didn't feel substantial to me.
There are two strange things, given the air of mysteries, that are never resolved in the text.1. The upstairs neighbors. I feel like this is supposed to be simple set dressing, but an enormous amount of time is dedicated to it. I started thinking they must tie into the story when Miri pointed out that she'd never seen anyone up there, and she didn't hear any signs of life aside from the TV changing channels. I don't really understand the point of setting all that up if it's not supposed to be important. I guess it was just intended to amplify the surreal nature of Miri's situation. 2. The strange phone calls. I guess these were also just intended as a weird little quirk. When it turned out that a second character had been receiving similar calls, I held out hope that there would be some kind of explanation. Alas, no. I understand that over-explanation is the death of horror, but sometimes under-explanation becomes equally frustrating.
On a non-plot note: there is one bisexual woman introduced in the course of this book. She is portrayed as an argumentative lush with no sense of personal boundaries. The very first piece of description we get is that she is, quote, "loudly bisexual," a fact which I was delighted by. Then it quickly becomes clear that this description is intended as an insult. The fact that "she likes people to know" about her bisexuality is treated like a flaw. A detriment to a person who is otherwise "all right." This character is brought up a couple more times through the book, exclusively so people can talk about how much they don't like her. I'm not saying it's unacceptable to have portrayals of marginalized characters who behave badly and are generally disliked. I'm not even saying this character's behavior is unrealistic or poorly written. My problem is that every moment of a character's portrayal is a choice the author makes. When this is the only bisexual character in a book marketed toward an LGBT audience, it feels less like an in-universe fact and more like an author's statement. If Armfield finds the presence of people like me so wholly unpleasant, I promise I will not sully the pages of any of her other works with my loudly bisexual hands.
Unfortunately, I can't say I enjoyed the execution. While I was very engaged with the mystery in Leah's chapters, I quickly grew soured on Miri's. I understand the concept. Miri is going through grief, which is one of - if not the - most challenging experience(s) in a person's life. She is flashing back to previous memorable moments and previous periods of grieving. While this makes sense in theory, in practice it means that 2/3rds of the book (Miri's chapters are much longer than Leah's) is rarely concerned with the central mystery.
Before I get too critical, I want to make it clear that there are many positives to this book. Armfield is extremely good at creating tension in a small space. The thoughts and behavior of people trapped in a confined space are shown well. Often I find that writers go too far in either direction, either opting for pure boredom or immediate claustrophobic panic. Armfield walks the line in a way that feels realistic. I also love the portrayal of the Centre as an unknowable horror in its own right, a bureaucratic monstrosity that's always sitting right at the edge of everyone's mind. The writing style fits the nostalgic, surreal nature of the story. The two POVs do not feel interchangeable the way they often do when handled by a less proficient author. The two women have distinct voices and thought patterns.
The rest of this review will be far more negative.
Miri flits in and out of engaging with the issue at hand, which is understandable, but whenever given the opportunity to get out of her own head, she refuses. This comes to a head when, 75% of the way through the book, someone shows up and basically says, "Hey, would you like to learn more about the central conflict?" To which she promptly responds, "No." and leaves. After spending more than 100 pages subjected to Miri's self-pitying, judgmental, unpleasant inner monologue, that scene felt like a joke at my expense.
I personally didn't feel like either storyline reached a satisfying conclusion, but YMMV there, that's extremely subjective. I think I can see what they were going for, at least in terms of handling Miri's relationship with grief, but it didn't feel like she experienced much significant growth. This might just be because the book ends immediately after a major character moment. I was left unsure whether I was supposed to read it literally or metaphorically. This ambiguity is very likely intentional, but the fact remains that it didn't feel substantial to me.
There are two strange things, given the air of mysteries, that are never resolved in the text.
On a non-plot note: there is one bisexual woman introduced in the course of this book. She is portrayed as an argumentative lush with no sense of personal boundaries. The very first piece of description we get is that she is, quote, "loudly bisexual," a fact which I was delighted by. Then it quickly becomes clear that this description is intended as an insult. The fact that "she likes people to know" about her bisexuality is treated like a flaw. A detriment to a person who is otherwise "all right." This character is brought up a couple more times through the book, exclusively so people can talk about how much they don't like her. I'm not saying it's unacceptable to have portrayals of marginalized characters who behave badly and are generally disliked. I'm not even saying this character's behavior is unrealistic or poorly written. My problem is that every moment of a character's portrayal is a choice the author makes. When this is the only bisexual character in a book marketed toward an LGBT audience, it feels less like an in-universe fact and more like an author's statement. If Armfield finds the presence of people like me so wholly unpleasant, I promise I will not sully the pages of any of her other works with my loudly bisexual hands.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Vomit, Grief, Confinement, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Dementia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Cursing, Alcohol, and Biphobia
sarasreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Beautifully written, quietly eerie, it's a tender introspection on loss and letting go, set in a loose horror framework. This was a short read but I know it's going to be in my head for a long time. I don't even have a lot of words for this right now. I have so many questions that will go unanswered, and I'm totally okay with that.
The prose is unassuming yet gorgeous. The first line had me right at the start:
The deep sea is a haunted house. A place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness.
And then:
"The ocean is unstill," she says. "Further down than you think. All the way to the bottom, things move." She seldom talks this much or this fluently, legs crossed and gaze towards the window, the familiar slant of her expression, all her features slipping gently to the left.
Glad I picked this up! Although a warning, there is some body horror. Not gruesome, just strange.
The prose is unassuming yet gorgeous. The first line had me right at the start:
The deep sea is a haunted house. A place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness.
And then:
"The ocean is unstill," she says. "Further down than you think. All the way to the bottom, things move." She seldom talks this much or this fluently, legs crossed and gaze towards the window, the familiar slant of her expression, all her features slipping gently to the left.
Glad I picked this up! Although a warning, there is some body horror. Not gruesome, just strange.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent