Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

11 reviews

_rowan_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Vomit, Dementia, Eating disorder, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide

dreareads_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A slow paced horror story of two wives trying to hold on to each other as they’re drifting apart.

In this book you are lulled into a state of normalcy, almost becoming frustrated at how mundane it all is. That is until you’re deep in the story and you are now grasped by the growing tension, you’re scared of what’s waiting outside in the sea, and are terrified to stay inside the house.

The body horror and horror elements are sprinkled throughout in a manner to bring forth lasting discomfort with no quick resolution.

This is a story of grief. Of ptsd. Of losing someone that is standing next to you. Of the worst and best parts of being with another human during your darkest times. A story where logic goes out the window and the characters act erratically due to their fears. You experience first hand a person detaching themselves from the world and the other trying to hold on despite of being forced to change.

I see why people think it is too slow at times but for me the pace works perfectly to develop an atmosphere that will not let you sleep at night. I loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Death, Eating disorder, Violence, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Confinement, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

avalon_green's review

challenging mysterious 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

3.0

This book was weird. I had a good storyline, flipping between the wife under the sea and the wife on land, and timelines between the time under the sea and the current time (post returning from under the sea). However, the ending was strange, and a little sad. Worth a read, very interesting almost sci-fi concept.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Violence and Suicidal thoughts

bookjudy42's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

This was gorgeous. Beautifully written with a palpable depth. The book does have a kind of sci-fi element to it, but it isn’t the main focus of the story (in case you’re not into that). Believable characters and a reflective, touching journey. Loved it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, Cursing, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

sav_22's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I fell in love with the writing style used in this book. I would classify this as an introspective; it unfolds into two storylines, with one following flashbacks and the other following the aftermath. I think if you are looking for a thriller, this isn’t for you; while this contains a lot of body horror, disturbing and complex trauma, it very much focuses on the trauma of grieving someone that’s fundamentally changed—someone that’s still there physically, but has disappeared everywhere else. It’s a book about trauma of loss as well as the trauma of loving.

as much as I would have loved to know the actual cause of Leah’s condition and what happened down there in the dark depths of the sea, I think this book is meant to live through the metaphor of what’s happening. I interpreted Leah’s condition as symbolism for a greater complex trauma that’s destroyed her spirit and in turn is destroying her physically. It reminds me of how people shut down after a traumatic event, with the ptsd of it further sinking them into oblivion. Viewing it this way made the story all the more gut wrenching, as Miri has to both process the grief of losing Leah twice: once to her incident, and the next to her trauma. Overall, I found the incompleteness of this conclusion to be purposeful and reflective on the reoccurring theme of “unstillness”; Life goes on, and so will you, even if you aren’t able to understand everything. <spoiler/> 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Excrement, Medical content, Suicide, Death, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Gaslighting, Cancer, and Dysphoria

theirgracegrace's review

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I read this book in a whirlwind three weeks and I cannot get it out of my head. The pastiche of character moments (especially at the end) can come across as jarring but helps to solidify the main characters Miri and Leah. Their relationship deteriorates when Leah comes back "wrong" after a routine research trip in a submarine leaves her stranded on the ocean floor for six months. The point-of-view bounces between Miri trying to make sense of her wife's strange behaviour and Leah explaining how the trip might have purposefully done for some mysterious ends. A tragic ending puts this book high on my list of recommended books. A fantastic read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Body horror, Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Animal death, Terminal illness, Cursing, Dementia, Mental illness, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer

One of the main characters is trapped in a submarine with two other people for six months and the three of them go clinically insane.

potatogrr's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Confinement

cecinamo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really loved this book. It has lesbians and the ocean >o<!!!! 
It is, I think more of a metaphor and things do not get explained. 
I still really enjoyed reading it. Especially the submarine chapters were super interesting yet also kind of scary and haunting. The end made me cry though >^<.

I found the ending as beautiful as it was sad. It reminded me of the original ending of the little mermaid and, in a way, it fits in a sad and beautiful way.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Confinement, Terminal illness, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, and Medical content

ellenisntcool's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

1. What the fuck

2. Please check the trigger warnings for this one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Confinement

Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism

aseel_reads's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

3.75

I liked the writing style of this and I really enjoyed the first of the book, on those alone, I would have given it a 4 star rating but then the plot didn't really develop and I didn't really understand why the submarine stayed down for so long...? We got a half answer and I wish that was done better. I also don't really understand what we were suppose to get from this book???

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Grief, Body horror, Confinement, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Death, and Medical content