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A review by aromarrie
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
i think about how majestic & captivating the ocean is when it’s depicted in a fantasy full of merfolk & nymphs & pirates, and then i read this story, that feels so grounded in my reality where the ocean itself is the fantasy that we haven’t even gleamed the surface of.
there’s no magical creatures we know of but there’s still some of that wonder, and the real horror is seeing how humans find themselves possessed by the true spirit of it, until they become the ocean itself. there’s not so much magic as there just is, and the grief of someone you love being swept up in it is enough to wash you away.
i really loved the writing in this, and the dual timelines—the use of past & present, of the stillness that lies beyond and yet also exists in the people right next to you—made the story feel haunting as hell, i was enraptured throughout every second of reading.
there’s no magical creatures we know of but there’s still some of that wonder, and the real horror is seeing how humans find themselves possessed by the true spirit of it, until they become the ocean itself. there’s not so much magic as there just is, and the grief of someone you love being swept up in it is enough to wash you away.
i really loved the writing in this, and the dual timelines—the use of past & present, of the stillness that lies beyond and yet also exists in the people right next to you—made the story feel haunting as hell, i was enraptured throughout every second of reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Grief