Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

28 reviews

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? 

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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

_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

acorny's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

Absolutely incredible book, exploring love, grief, trauma and relationships changing through all these things. depicted so beautifully through the lens of a science fiction/horror novel. It felt appropriately suspenseful and the ending was heartbreaking despite my anticipating its ending awhile before. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Confinement, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

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

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

3.5

This book left me with more questions than answers, yet I was satisfied with the ending enough to accept this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Confinement, Body horror, Gaslighting, Blood, Grief, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Self harm, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content

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

ceruleanseas's review

emotional mysterious sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Lesbophobia

bu77trout'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? Yes

4.0

A very interesting love story mixed up with a psychological thriller of sorts. Following two narrators, the protagonist and her wife (you decide which is which I guess). One narrator, Leah, is stranded at the bottom of the ocean with a small crew in a research submarine. She tries to describe the experience of their descent into darkness, total isolation and madness. The other narrator, Miri, faces the aftermath of the mission, having to care for and cope with her love who has been changed beyond recognition by her experience which appears both traumatic and somehow spiritual. Both narrators delve into their memories of each other, their families and lives creating a rich background for the story. The chapters are named for and take the perspective of each narrator in turn in what becomes a very interesting duologue that crosses temporal boundaries. The book is also divided into sections mirroring the vertical zones of the ocean from sunlight zone to the hadal zone. There seems to be a synergy between these zones and the events on the ship as told by Leah but also the deterioration of the protagonist couple's relationship and well-being in Miri's narration. There is a sort of unexpected magic realism to the story as well. Quite enjoyable overall, an easy read and though mostly character driven, I kept wanting to know the next chapter. If I have one criticism it's that the tertiary characters are interesting and I would have liked to see more of them, but the story isn't ultimately about them, so I take that as an intentional choice.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Terminal illness

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

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Gore

walenchao's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

A beautiful cosmic horror story told not for scares, but for the scars a harrowing experience leaves. A love so true it can only be broken by something so of this world, yet completely unknown. Beautiful prose, only wish there was more to read of it if I’m being honest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail