Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

107 reviews

frankyreadsbooks's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

The ending??? Hello?

I do feel kind of unsatisfied that we never got an adequate answer as to what the Center really was trying to research. What about the big ass eye at the bottom of the ocean that Leah escaped from? Why did she suddenly start turning into a sea creature? How would that even work? The book is not about all of that. I understand. This book is a story of loss in a sense and part strange fiction on my opinion - a genre I enjoy greatly. Plus I want to make the connection to the "Monstrous Feminine". A theory some might be familiar with. Pretty sure you could write academic articles about this novel.

...and on that note:

I NEED MORE OF THIS BOOK. I feel like if I read it again or talk about it more I will find many more world-building details I have missed on my first read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual content

hardbackhoarder's review

challenging dark emotional 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

3.5

As much as I wanted to love this book, the characters, who are unfortunately the main focus of the book, read flat. I did love the parts on the submarine and those kept me the most interested. I found just a bit annoyed with Miri's point of view as it just seemed to drag and never end.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Terminal illness

todrick_the_tree's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Confinement

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Minor: Terminal illness

pheenic's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Body horror, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death of parent

kenrya's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Mental illness, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Terminal illness, and Vomit

shadowspinner's review

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Confinement, and Death

Minor: Death of parent

zmeiat's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

 Sad and melancholic story with a tinge of

eldrich horror

. We follow a married couple that slowly becomes a husk of themselves after a mysterious event undersea befalling one of them.
I adored this book.
The only thing that would have made it better would have been for the author to lean into the horror aspect some more. At the end of the day this is not that kind of novel, but the setup of Leah on that submarine was very compelling, if not slightly underused.
Nevertheless, this book is about grief and the ability to let go, and everything happening around that is there to further develop these themes. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness

asg20's review

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness

agirledcheese's review

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness

bumblemee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Very beautifully written and very immersive.
I loved to get to know these women and their relationship, especially through Miris eyes. All these little details she thinks of while trying to find her Leah in the Leah that returned. It was hurtful to read, but also endearing. (My favourite was when Miri said that Leah used to pedal Miris legs when she was upset and chant "tour de france, tour de france" until Miri had to laugh. Idk, it was just so cute.) Miris voice was very clear, every obersvation and comment she made fit her perfectly. Same for Leah, but we don't get to see that much of her compared to Miri. 
I liked how the book was seperated into the different stages of the ocean and everything Leah told us about it and the ways to travel and research it. Her fascination for the ocean is everywhere and as someone who is a little fascinated by the deep as well, I liked that a lot.

Even though there's not that much happening, a lot of suspense builds up over the course of the novel. I couldn't put it down after a certain point. - And I get why we don't get all the answers, this book isn't about the plot, and I think it was the right choice, because solving every mystery would've taken away from the point ... but I can't help but want to know the answers. Someone please rewrite this in another genre? So we got both? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Death, Body horror, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide