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

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-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? No

5.0

I swallowed this one in two days and loved it. Miri's wife Leah is a marine biologist whose work sometimes involves submarine missions; one day, she leaves for a three-week trip and doesn't return for six months. This novel is the story of Miri and Leah's relationship both before and after this experience, and it's also the unfolding mystery of what happened to Leah under the sea. Armfield's writing is beautiful - I can see why she's had such success with her short stories - and the novel is both weird and moving. Leah, Miri and their relationship are in lots of ways very normal; that is, they're specific enough to feel real but there's nothing particularly elevated or unusual about their relationship, just the sweet ordinary circumstance of love. Conversely, the undersea world that we see through Leah is almost impenetrably mysterious. The point at which the two come together is what gives the book its power. There are plenty of loose ends unresolved, but I think in horror (which is probably one of the genres this sits in - alongside sci-fi and romance) that can be a good thing and it certainly didn't leave me unsatisfied. Big recommendation from me (and a special shout-out to the 'My Husband in Space' RP community that Armfield concocts because it tickled me so much).
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