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A review by shanaqui
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
2.0
Our Wives Under The Sea falls squarely into that category of books which might be really good, but definitely aren't for me. There's a lot of body horror, and some pretty bang-on descriptions of hypochondria -- along with related anxiety dreams/imaginings that made me pretty squirmy myself. The whole time I was uneasy, and not due to the quality of the writing or the mystery about what's happening to Leah, but just because the way things were described pushed some specific buttons for me.
It's not a book in which a lot happens. Even as we begin to learn what happened to Leah and the others on their trip, not a lot is actually happening. They're certainly not able to do much -- not much productive -- and nor can Miri, in the present part of the story. They're witness to things happening to them that are beyond their control and totally inexplicable, and they can have no effect on events.
I think that could really work for some readers, and I'm not saying it's an inherently bad way to tell a story -- but it didn't work for me, particularly not while my buttons had already been pushed. There's a helplessness in hypochondria too, where it just happens to you despite your best efforts, despite all your logic, and that's how this book made me feel, too. Like the bad stuff is inevitable, inescapable, and without reason.
As a result, this book was just a little too much for me -- or not enough, if you think in terms of a reason, a direction, a will pushing the events forward.
It's not a book in which a lot happens. Even as we begin to learn what happened to Leah and the others on their trip, not a lot is actually happening. They're certainly not able to do much -- not much productive -- and nor can Miri, in the present part of the story. They're witness to things happening to them that are beyond their control and totally inexplicable, and they can have no effect on events.
I think that could really work for some readers, and I'm not saying it's an inherently bad way to tell a story -- but it didn't work for me, particularly not while my buttons had already been pushed. There's a helplessness in hypochondria too, where it just happens to you despite your best efforts, despite all your logic, and that's how this book made me feel, too. Like the bad stuff is inevitable, inescapable, and without reason.
As a result, this book was just a little too much for me -- or not enough, if you think in terms of a reason, a direction, a will pushing the events forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Mental illness