A review by alexampersand
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

I wasn't sure about the book at first, but as it went on I found myself falling in love with it. The prose was beautifully lyrical, and the content straddled this sort of mysterious vaguely otherworldly quality, that left me pondering what was physical vs emotional. The examination of the relationship was beautifully told, and combining that with the existential dread of the submarine scenes, and the grieving process detailed through the post-submarine scenes, all created a beautiful cocktail.

I think I would have liked a tiny bit more clarity in the ending about the eye, and what exactly happened between the end of the mission and the return to the surface... But I guess the mystery is all a part of it.